New Delhi: The CPI(M) on Wednesday said Congress
managers had "miserably failed" in floor management in the Lok
Sabha where a government bill to provide constitutional status
to Lokpal fell last night due to lack of numbers.
"Either the Congress was not really interested in this
(Constitution Amendment Bill) or it miserably failed in its
floor management. Blaming the Opposition for this defeat is a
flimsy excuse," senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told a news agency here.
"It is clear that they could not mobilise their own
support base with the Trinamool Congress also not backing
them fully," he said.
Reacting to Congress attacks against the Opposition after
the voting on the Bill, he said the passage of a Constitution
Amendment Bill required two-thirds of the House present and
voting, with over a half of them or 273 members voting in
favour.
"The UPA has a strength of 277 in Lok Sabha. Then why did
at least 273 not vote? This is something they have to answer,"
Yechury said.
The CPI(M), Yechury said, would move and press for
amendments on four critical areas of the Lokpal and Lokayukta
Bill in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow.
These are on ensuring that the federal character is not
affected, independent investigation wing for Lokpal, inclusion
of corruption by corporates and foreign-funded NGOs and
broad-basing of the selection process of Lokpal to ensure
transparency.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 21:17