With a crucial voting on a Bill replacing POTA amendment ordinance in the Lok Sabha slated for tomorrow, the Government claimed this evening that NDA allies, including DMK and MDMK, will support the bill.The Government claim came after a two-hour meeting of floor leaders of NDA partners at the residence of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. The meeting was also attended by TDP leader K. Yerrannaidu.The amendment aims at providing statutory powers to POTA review committees for redressal of complaints by individuals booked under the anti-terror law. It will confer more powers on the Central and state review committees making their decision binding on state governments and police officials.The Government is in a piquant situation on this count. The AIADMK, a sound votary of POTA, is against the proposed provisions under the new amendment, because they undermine the state government’s discretion in the use of POTA. On the other hand, DMK and the MDMK are far from being placated by the move. For them, nothing short of a POTA revocation would do.The stand of the two parties on POTA notwithstanding, the issue involves the broader question of their partnership with the NDA. Since both would take a cool and calculated view of the matter, they may support the Government move as of now. More so, when the amendment only provides for safeguards against POTA misuse. This development, ironically, comes at a time when the DMK has just embarked on an agitation in Tamil Nadu to press for a host of demands, including repeal of POTA.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, when asked if the DMK and MDMK had assured their support to the Bill, said: ‘‘Both DMK and MDMK will support the Bill because this is a step forward to improve the provisions of the original act.’’ She said the two parties realised that if the Bill was not passed, the present position would continue. However, she ruled out a repeal of POTA.Swaraj replied in the negative when asked if the meeting also discussed the statement of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi that his party will decide on continuance of its ministers in the Vajpayee Government in the wake of BJP chief M. Venkaiah Naidu’s certain remarks.She told reporters that another Bill on the Lok Sabha agenda for tomorrow was aimed at electoral reforms. Both Bills will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.The proposed legislation on poll reforms won’t allow defectors from holding office of profit till they win the next elections and peg the Cabinet numbers at 15 per cent of the total number of members in Lok Sabha and state assemblies concerned.
