BJP bails out govt on PFRDA Bill

In a hurried attempt to introduce a key pension reforms Bill in the Lok Sabha, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on Thursday came close to its collapse. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is at loggerheads with the government on issues like corruption, came to its rescue at the crucial moment and voted in favour of the Bill. If it hadn’t, the government could have fallen as the pension reforms Bill is a money Bill.

Initially, UPA managers had planned to bring the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill in the special session proposed at the end of May. But as the government is now having second thoughts about convening that session and plans to have a longer monsoon session instead, the UPA brass decided to bring the PFRDA Bill on Thursday. They also took into account the changed political climate in their favour after the Wikileaks debate in Parliament yesterday.

The UPA finally managed to survive the division (or voting) on the introduction of the PFRDA Bill, with 115 votes in its favour, with BJP’s help. Other Opposition parties managed to cast 43 votes against the Bill. Initially, there was no quorum to pass the Bill.

Adding to the woes of the UPA managers, who vehemently tried to argue against allowing a division at the introduction of the Bill, Speaker Meira Kumar overruled them, and allowed a division.

After the Speaker ordered a division, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal rushed to the BJP bench to meet party leaders Sushma Swaraj and Lal Krishna Advani. Bansal told them, “The PFDRA has been functional for the past six years. I hope there is no difference of opinion on this issue between us.” Swaraj and Advani assured their support to the government that faced not just the opposition from Left parties, JD(U), BJD and TDP, but also from its outside supporters like SP, BSP and RJD.

The government managers argued that the Opposition parties had raised their objections at the “wrong time” and they didn’t give any prior notice, which is required to oppose any Bill at its introduction stage. CPI(M)’s chief whip Ramchandra Dome rejected the charges and said, “The Bill was circulated to us last night. We didn’t get enough time to give notice. And the MPs always have the right to press for a division.”

The government, too, was not totally prepared for pushing the Bill. There was no whip issued to the Congress MPs and most of them were not present when the finance minister introduced the Bill. The Bill has been referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.