Cabinet to take up ordinance on convicted netas on Oct 2

Rahul Gandhi had termed it 'complete nonsense' and said that it should be 'torn up' and thrown away

The Union Cabinet would meet on Wednesday to decide on a possible withdrawal of the controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers, presidential assent for which is pending.

The move follows strong opposition to the ordinance from Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who termed it “complete nonsense”, adding it should be “torn up and thrown away”.

Officials in the know said such was the urgency on the ordinance that a meeting of the Cabinet had been called on October 2, despite it being a public holiday.

The fact that President Pranab Mukherjee was scheduled to leave on a foreign tour on October 2 might have also hastened the meet.

Officials said all Cabinet ministers had been instructed to attend the meeting.

The president has already met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and Law Minister Kapil Sibal to seek clarifications on the ordinance.

Nath said Gandhi had expressed the view of many in the party, suggesting the government should take a “re-look” at it.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla had said, “In the last six decades, there have been a number of occasions when the party got the government’s stand changed. The party’s job is to give direction to the government.”