Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said there would be no legislation on building a Ram temple in Ayodhya yet as it was supported by the BJP partners in the NDA. ‘‘There is no consensus on such a Bill from the NDA partners or even the Opposition parties. There is no question of bringing the Bill without consensus,’’ Swaraj said a day before the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.Saying that the BJP had been trying for a consensus on the legislation ‘‘for the last four years,’’ Swaraj added that a consensus is still eluding the Government. ‘‘That is why the matter is not on the common minimum programme of the NDA either,’’ she said. On whether the Government was considering holding a joint session of Parliament for passing such a Bill, like it did for POTA, she said the two cannot be compared as for POTA ‘‘there was no opposition from our allies.’’Swaraj also said that Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee will make a statement in Lok Sabha tomorrow on his visits to China, Germany, St. Petersberg and Evian.In this session, 16 new bills would be introduced including a bill on special economic zones policy and right to free and compulsory education bill to make elementary education a fundamental right for children between 6-14 years. Some of the other bills are the National Commission for Children Bill, Juvenile Justice Bill, Banking Regulation Bill and Electricity (Amendment) Bill. In the 22 sittings of this session, 8 bills in Rajya Sabha and 9 bills in Lok Sabha would be considered for passing. Important bills in Rajya Sabha are Fiscal Responsibility Bill, Central Vigilance Commission Bill, Airports Authority of India Bill and Indian Council of World Affairs Bill.Important bills in Lok Sabha would be Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill which seeks to reform the process of donation to political parties. The other would be Representation of People (Amendment) Bill, which would introduce open ballot system in Rajya Sabha. The Lokpal Bill for establishing an institution to look into allegations of corruption against public functionaries would also be considered.On the Women’s Reservation Bill, Swaraj said there would be no new initiative without consensus. Saying the BJP’s suggestion on dual membership in Lok Sabha would be conveyed to the Speaker, she said: ‘‘The ball is in his court. If the Speaker says ‘yes’ the Government is ready to introduce it.
