Parliament Notebook

Samajwadi Party MP Janeshwar Mishra posed supplementary questions on central universities to his former professor HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi. To drive home his point that proper teaching was not done in the University, Mishra recalled that classes were held not more than 10 days a year. ‘‘I was a student then and Joshi was the Professor, who used to come to the University only once a year to take classes,’’ Mishra said, plunging the House in laughter. Joshi rose to the charge, saying, ‘‘This is absolutely false. I took the maximum number of classes. Mishra’s allegation is politically motivated.’’

Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who seemed to be enjoying the friendly spar, then intervened asking Joshi if he had attended all classes, how come the university produced such students (like Mishra). Joshi quipped that it was unfortunate that such a student was elected to the Rajya Sabha, regaling the entire House. Not to be left behind, a Left party member remarked ‘‘Jaisa guru, waisa chela (like teacher, like student)’’.

Where there’s a bill, find a way

• Where there is a Bill, there is a way? May be not. Just before the Rajya Sabha was to be adjourned sine die, women members led by Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla were up-in-arms against the continued ‘‘failure’’ of Government to take up the Women’s Reservation Bill. After the customary speeches, Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said that Heptulla wanted to say something.

Heptulla said women across the country were getting frustrated that the constitutional amendment Bill seeking to ensure 33 per cent reservation for them in Lok Sabha and state assemblies was not even coming up for consideration of Parliament.

Supported by women members, cutting across party affiliations, Heptulla urged the Chairman to direct the Government to bring the Bill for consideration. Leader of the Opposition Manmohan Singh said Congress president Sonia Gandhi was committed to support the Bill.

Every query has two answers

• If every question has two answers — the right one, and the wrong one — then the Government has both. Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today pulled up the Government for the delay in correcting answers to questions in the Rajya Sabha following a strong protest lodged by Congress MP Suresh Pachouri. The direction from the Chairman came when Pachouri referred to the delay in correcting reply made by Defence Minister George Fernandes to a question on November 27.

Agreeing with the member, the Chair told the Government that the Minister concerned should correct the answer, if any, at the very next instance when his Ministry’s question day comes in the House. Following this, Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta read a statement correcting the answer made by his senior to the question on November 27.

The Government is considering a proposal for amending the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987, to make it more stringent, Rajya Sabha was informed today

‘‘Government had enacted the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987. A proposal for amending the Act to make it more stringent is under consideration of the Government,’’ Minister of state for Human Resource Development Rita Verma said in a written reply. On whether Government was aware of the Sati incident that took place in August this year in Madhya Pradesh, Verma said: ‘‘As per information…only two cases of Sati were reported since 1996, one from Uttar Pradesh during 1997 and the other from Madhya Pradesh in 2002…Only one person was arrested under the act sine 1996 and the person was acquitted by the court.’’