New Delhi: UPA allies SP and RJD today piped
down on their threat to withdraw support to the government and
the ruling coalition appeared not to be in a hurry to press
ahead with the Women's reservation bill in the Lok Sabha.
A day after the Rajya Sabha passed the historic
legislation, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, whose
party boycotted the voting, today met Congress president Sonia
Gandhi who reportedly addressed her concerns and assured her
all parties would be consulted before the historic legislation
is brought before the Lok Sabha.
However, Banerjee continued to sulk over Congress
attitude when she walked away from the Rajya Sabha during the
discussion on the Railway budget after a Congress leader made
a veiled attack on her suggesting she was not following
"Cabinet discipline".
The timing of tabling the bill in the Lok Sabha was a
matter of speculation amidst reports that the Government does
not want to take any chance with the crucial money bills to be
voted before the House adjourns for a recess on March 16.
However, Law Minister Veerappa Moily dismissed any
fears of threat to the government on the issue of financial
business saying government had the numbers and there was no
deliberate strategy to delay the Bill.
Parliamentary Affairs minister P K Bansal gave no
indication of the Bill being brought before March 16, saying
"We want everyone on board. We will certainly try for a
congenial atmosphere."
Official sources said the Business Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha will meet Friday to decide tabling of the bill in the house next week.
Notwithstanding their disruption of the Lok Sabha today, Samajwadi Party and RJD, which had been seething with anger on government going ahead with the Constitution amendment bill, also made it clear that there were no plans to table any no-confidence motion.
Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters that since his party did not have the required numbers, he was not thinking on puling the plug. Lalu Yadav seconded his opinion.
“We have only four MPs and, therefore, where is the question of no-confidence motion," he said.
While the SP has 21 members in the Lok Sabha, RJD has only 4. The two leaders had on Monday announced taking back their support.
However, members of SP, RJD and JD(U) disrupted House proceedings for the third day over the forcible eviction of their colleagues in the Rajya Sabha. The party members also staged a walk out in RS, demanding the revoking of suspension.
-PTI inputs
First Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 00:17