United Oppn to target govt on sugarcane price

In effect,the government measure seeks to pass a part of the burden of additional expenses to state governments in case they announce higher State Advised Price (SAP) for sugarcane than the Centre’s Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP). Given the current composition of the Rajya Sabha,at least 138 of the 263 members are likely to oppose the Bill. Though some parties like the RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav back the government from the outside,they have publicly criticised the ordinance. The opponents of the ordinance range from the BJP and Left parties to RLD,SP and BSP.

Parliament Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told the media on Wednesday evening that the government had lined up a total of 62 new legislations for the session,including the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill,Immigration Management Bill,Equal Opportunity Commission Bill,the contentious Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill,Pension Fund Regulatory Bill,Constitution Amendment Bill (providing for 50 per cent reservations for women in panchayats and local bodies) and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill. The two Houses would have a total of 23 sittings.

Other issues which are likely to figure in the session are price rise,corruption (with special reference to Madhu Koda),Maoist violence,India-China relations,drought and floods.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be away to the US and Russia during the session.

The Rajya Sabha is likely to be adjourned on Thursday after making obituary references. Two sitting members of the House,Pyarelal Khandelwal and Mahendra Sahni,had died in the interregnum.

Meanwhile,rattled by the defeat in the recent by-elections,SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday called on RLD chief Ajit Singh to express solidarity over the sugarcane price issue. Asked about the coming together of the two UP leaders,Mulayam said,”Whenever such crisis arises we come together. We were together in the past and will unite in the future to fight for the cause of farmers who form the backbone of the country’s economy.”

Sources,however,said the SP chief’s attempt to win over Ajit Singh,a BJP ally,is part of his desperate bid to retain the party’s foothold in the state in face of severe political setbacks.