House panel likely to study Gorkha Hill Council Bills

Conceding to the Opposition BJP’s demand for referring the bills to the standing committee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the UPA Government was in a hurry to pass the bills as delay might lead to a “deterioration” in law and order situation in Darjeeling. But, a Bill of “this nature” needs to have the consent of the entire House. “So we have no objection if it is sent to the standing committee,” said the Home Minister.

As CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta suggested that the bills be sent to the Joint Select Committee, the Home Minister said, “Whether it is sent to one committee or another, the report should be given within one month’s time so that we can pass it in the next session.”

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee observed that since there was reconciliation he would not stand in the way of deferring the consideration of the bills.

The decision came a day after the BJP decided to oppose the bills if they were not referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee saying there was an established convention that a new Bill is referred to it. Standing by the Home Minister Shivraj Patil , Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the ruling alliance had the requisite support to pass the bills.

Left sources said the passage of the two Constitution (Amendment) bills had to be deferred because though the ruling combine could have passed it in the Lok Sabha, it did not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha.