Education Tribunal Bill will be passed in next Session: Sibal

Kapil Sibal said he would not blame anybody for failure to pass the Education Tribunal Bill.

A day after a key education Bill was deferred because of opposition from MPs from Congress and other parties,HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said he would not blame anybody for failure to pass it and hoped the proposed legislation would be passed in the Winter session.

Putting up a brave face on the issue,Sibal expressed determination to work for building the future of children.

“I am willing to take every responsibility for whatever happened. I think it is very ungracious for me to blame anybody,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

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Sibal faced an embarrassing situation in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday when Congress member Kesava Rao,joined by members from other parties,attacked him for his “hurry” to get House to pass the Education Tribual Bill which has already adopted by the Lok Sabha.

In view of the opposition,the minister did not press for its passage.

Later in the evening,he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apprise him of the developments.

Asked whether he raised with the Prime Minister the issue of poor floor management in the House,Sibal said “I informed him what happened in the House as a minister. Nothing more than that.”

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He said before taking up the Bill which provides for setting up of a tribunal to decide on conflicts in the education sector,he had consulted Opposition members both in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

“The House wanted more debate on the issue and we agreed. We will debate further in the Winter session. It will be passed in the Rajya Sabha,” he said.

Sibal said he presented all the facts before the House regarding the Bill within the time given to him. “The House still wanted further discussion and I had no objection to this,” he said.

When asked about the stiff opposition to the Bill including from Congress members,he said that as a Minister,he respected the mood of the House.

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“I have respect for my colleagues. Whatever they say,I have great respect for them. They are member of the Congress party. I have no desire to criticise anybody.”

He said their resolve was to build the future of the children and it was with this intend that would go ahead with their work.

“We have started the work with an intention and we will carry ahead with the same intention. If we want to mould the future our children,we will do it. People who want to object,they will do that. This is a democracy,” he said.

He said he has no plans to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the issue.

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