BJP adopted 'double standards' on convicted lawmakers ordinance: Narayanasamy

Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) V. Narayanasamy on Thursday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its 'double standards' on the ordinance on convicted lawmakers.

Narayanasamy said the ordinance was brought after a meeting called of the

Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and other political parties by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath.

"When the Supreme Court judgement came that any political personality who has been convicted for more than two years.... on any crime which is a heinous crime, they should be automatically disqualified. To counter that, all political parties unitedly said that we should not accept that judgement and we should bring a legislation to that judgement. Initially, it was planned to bring a constitutional amendment, but it was modified to bring an ordinance under the Representation of People's Act. And it was accordingly done; the bill was introduced in the Parliament," said Narayanasamy.

"The Law Minister brought the ordinance before the Cabinet. The Cabinet approved it. At that time, it went to the President for assent. In the meanwhile, BJP totally turned against it and BJP started opposing the ordinance. Though they initially agreed that the ordinance has to be brought, this shows the double standards of the BJP," he added.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had earlier said that his party has been opposed to the bill from the very beginning.

"The Cabinet took the decision under pressure from the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi," he said, and added that the opposition has ensured that the flag of democracy flies high.

The UPA Government yesterday decided to withdraw a controversial ordinance that protects convicted parliamentarians.

The reversal of policy was cleared at a short Cabinet meeting last evening, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

"Having regard to the various concerns, which have been expressed in relation to the validity and advisability of the proposed Ordinance seeking to amend the Representation of People's Act, the Cabinet has decided to withdraw the proposal for promulgating the Ordinance as well as the Bill," said a Cabinet release.

In a major embarrassment to the ruling UPA, Rahul Gandhi had earlier on September 27 dubbed the ordinance to negate the Supreme Court verdict on convicted lawmakers as 'complete nonsense', and said it should be torn up and thrown away.

"I personally think what the government is doing on the ordinance is wrong. It was a political decision, every party does it, and there is a time to stop this nonsense," he had said.