by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Govt gets tough, Oppn unrelenting
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Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 16 |
The fate of the much-touted Insurance Bill waiting for passage in the Rajya Sabha has become uncertain during the Winter Session as the Opposition and the treasury benches have failed to find a compromise formula.
The government seems to have realised that the Opposition parties are wanting to delay the passage of the Insurance Bill and using the religious conversion issue as a stick to get the RS stalled.
The government is aware that it doesn't have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and even the presiding officer belongs to the Congress party. Therefore, there is a no way that it will be able to get the insurance Bill passed or even rejected. Therefore, it is gearing up to make a last ditch effort but without accepting Opposition's demand for the presence of the PM on the issue.
The insurance Bill, which is considered a big ticket reform agenda of the government, awaiting passage before the visit of the US President Barack Obama in January. The Opposition parties are insisting that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi would accept its demand of coming to the Rajya Sabha and even make a statement on the conversions so that Bill is passed.
The government has rejected the proposal saying that the PM cannot be subjected to the "blackmail" of the Opposition which has a majority in the Rajya Sabha. It feels that this was a trap the Opposition is laying and embarrass it one pretext or the other. The government has said it has nothing to do with the statements of some of the MPs or party leaders and the PM had made a statement on the issue last week. Therefore, the Rajya Sabha is being bulldozed passed.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley who also addressed the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting in the morning, gave a detailed account of the political situation prevailing in the Rajya Sabha.
He said until the party gets a majority in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition parties would continue to derails the agenda. However, he hoped that situation will take turn for the better.
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