NDA to stonewall ‘Rahul Bills’; Speaker looks to ‘grand finale’

The stage is set for a battle in Parliament as the NDA here Tuesday geared up to block the Rahul Gandhi agenda lined up by the UPA II government.
Sources disclosed that NDA constituents, who met at the residence of alliance working chairman L K Advani, resolved to stonewall the attempt of the ruling party to showcase Rahul Gandhi as a crusader against corruption ahead of the Lok Sabha polls by pushing through six anti-corruption Bills. The unanimous view at the meeting, according to the sources, was that they could not allow Rahul to run away with credit for something that the government could not accomplish without their co-operation. Those present at the meeting included Advani, Leaders of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj (Lok Sabha) and Arun Jaitley (Rajya Sabha), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena) and Naresh Gujral (SAD).

The NDA leaders, sure of Congress members from Andhra creating a ruckus over the Telangana issue, felt that the onus of controlling them would be on the Congress. While on one hand, it would pre-empt the passage of the Telangana Bill, on the other hand, the Congress would not be able to put the blame on the Opposition for the stalemate. In this situation, the only business the two Houses could be expected to conduct is vote-on-account. Briefing the NDA leaders on the meeting of floor leaders with Speaker Meira Kumar, Swaraj said Finance minister P Chidambaram informed them that he could not present the financial business before February 17. The NDA leaders felt the two Houses were unlikely to function till then.

Parliamentary Affairs minister Kamal Nath and Sushma Swaraj traded sharp words after the all-party meeting. Nath asked the BJP to demonstrate its “genuine and not half-hearted” support to the Telangana Bill. Swaraj told him to set his own house in order. “Their own members are supporting as well as opposing Telangana.”  Nath, however, argued that the issue could “not be put to rest as 17 members from Telangana and 25 from Seemandhra will always be there… This issue will be settled only when everybody decides it together.”

The Speaker, when asked if she would act against unruly members, told the media: “You are asking me a question before I have arrived at the base of the bridge… Let me come to the bridge, then I will tell you what I am going to do.” However, she is keen on making the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha a “grand finale”. Obviously, it could not be “grand” if tainted by the suspension of members. PM Manmohan Singh came across as his normal mild self. He told the media, “I sincerely hope, the House in its wisdom will be able to pass the (Telangana) Bill.”