UF whip to MPs for voting on Bills

An SOS has also been sent to Congress president Sitaram Kesri to ensure the presence of party MPs in Parliament on Monday so that all pending legislative business can be completed before the monsoon session is adjourned on August 14.

However, at the closed door meeting held at Gujral’s Parliament House office, the members simply passed on the buck. None of the ministers present were willing to share the blame for the unprecedented lack of coordination in Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism Minister Srikant Jena made it clear at the outset that he had been entrusted with the task of coordinating work in the Lok Sabha and had nothing to do with the Rajya Sabha.

He said he had cautioned Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday not to insist on voting on the Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill because of the absence of the Congress MPs and the cracks within the BJP.

But Chidambaram shot back saying he had already spoken to the BJP leaders including Atal Behari Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh and was assured that the bill would go through despite opposition from the Left MPs. “If the opinion of the Parliamentary Affairs Minister is ignored, what can I do ?” Jena is reported to have retorted the meeting.

The Prime Minister felt he should have been apprised of the situation by the two ministers if their assessment of the ground level situation differed.

Gujral then turned to Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy and Minister of State for Law Ramakant Khalap who were entrusted with the task of coordination in the Rajya Sabha.

The Prime Minister wanted to know why the bill relating to the election of President and Vice-President was taken up at all when the treasury benches were empty. Besides, Minister of State for Home Affairs Makbool Dar had been forced to defer the Private Security Agencies bill earlier in the day.

He also wanted to know why they were not present at the regular 10.30 am meeting held in the chambers of Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah to take a final decision on the day’s agenda yesterday.

Reddy explained that he was busy in a meeting in connection with the question hour in the Lok Sabha.

A part of the blame was laid on Najma Heptullah for not adjourning the House at 4.40 pm. She said it was for the House to decide whether to adjourn or continue with the business.

The Prime Minister was told that the Deputy Chairperson was aware that the Government was in a hopeless minority and had allowed the BJP MPs to embarrass the treasury benches. However, Gujral did not agree with the assessment and felt that the Government should put its own house in order.

It was also decided that no contentious bill would be brought in Parliament next week unless there was a consensus on the issue among all political parties.

Sangma calls meet

Speaker of the Lok Sabha, P A Sangma, has called an all-party meeting in his chamber at 12.30 pm on Monday next to resolve the issue of Reservation of Seats for women in Legislatures.

Since senior leaders belonging to the DMK, Janata Dal, RJD and Samajwadi Party are strongly opposed to giving 33 per cent seats for women in legislatures, Sangma is sounding leaders to make a humble beginning in the 50th year of India’s Independence.