Not averse to House debate on Food Security Bill: Cong
Saturday, 08/06/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130608/nation.htm#1
New Delhi : The Congress today sought to dispel the notion that the party wanted to enact the Food Security Bill through the ordinance route instead of a debate and blamed the Opposition for stalling the proceedings in both Houses as the reason for the delay.
Responding to questions following the statement by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar favouring the passage of the Bill through discussion in Parliament, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary maintained there were no differences either within the Congress or with its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party.
Emphasising that the Congress wanted the social welfare measure to be discussed and debated in Parliament before it was passed, Renuka said: “But they (Opposition) had stalled the proceedings. There are no differences with the NCP....”
During the Budget session that ended last month, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had made a personal effort to push the Bill and party parliamentary managers even got a debate initiated amid turbulence in the Lok Sabha. It was stopped after the Opposition protested against the conditions in which the discussion got under way.
On his part, Pawar said in Mumbai they were not opposed to the Bill but the issue was how the proposed legislation should be passed - through an ordinance or a debate in Parliament.
“I am not opposed to the Bill. I am in favour of approving the food Bill through discussion in Parliament, which is the highest forum,” Pawar said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath was having talks with those concerned on the way the Bill, which seeks to provide legal rights to 67 per cent of the population over a uniform quantity of 5 kg food grain at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops, should be brought before Parliament.
Meanwhile, the CPM said the government was to blame for not fulfilling its own promise to the country and the people for promising to implement the food Bill in the first 100 days it came to office in 2009.
