Govt not ready to table lokpal in RS

Opposition demands tabling of Lokpal in Rajya Sabha, govt denies

PTI | December 28, 2011



Pressing for tabling of the Lokpal Bill today itself in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP and the Left sought to corner the government which was not ready for immediate discussion on it.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, instead asked for taking up the Whistleblowers' Bill today so that the House can have scheduled eight-hour discussion on the Lokpal Bill tomorrow.

But, the Opposition did not agree and insisted that the Lokpal Bill should be taken up first. "We have been waiting for the Lokpal Bill since 2 PM but till now,there is no supplementary agenda," BJP senior leader S S Ahluwalia said soon after the House approved the Constitutional Amendment Bill on granting autonomy to cooperative institutions.

Amidst heated arguments between Bansal and the Opposition, Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan adjourned the House a little earlier than 5 PM.

Ahluwalia said the winter session was extended for a particular purpose and "we are waiting...", amidst uproar by the party members for not taking up the Whistleblowers' Bill today.

He was supported Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M)."If Whistleblowers' Bill is taken up today, discussion will extend till tomorrow and then we will not get eight hours for Lokpal Bill, unless you extend the house (further)".

At this point, Ahluwalia interjected saying , "who will agree for it (futher extension)".

It was finally announced by Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan that the bills would be taken up tomorrow, to which the Opposition members said, "one after the other".

The pleas of Bansal and his ministerial colleague V Narayanasamy for taking the Whistleblowers' Bill today itself went unheard.

The UPA does not have a majority in the 243-member Upper House.

Comments

 

Other News

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter