Rahul's stock has gone up after remark on ordinance: JD(U)

Nitish Kumar says he is against bringing in laws through ordinances

Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar on Saturday backed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his controversial statement on the proposed ordinance for convicted lawmakers, and said the ruling party's leader stock will go up for the stance he has taken publicly on the issue.

"Getting the ordinance out after parliamentary debate was not appropriate. I believe what Congress' leader Rahul Gandhi has said is correct. In the circumstances, the ordinance should be taken back-this is the best way," Kumar said.

"As far as bringing in any law goes, I think it should be left to the Parliament to decide and debate. ...One's standing does not go down when undoing a wrong thing. But if you stop an inappropriate act or don't let it go ahead, I think that your stock goes up. I don't think that it is a correct measure of standing," he added.

Kumar also expressed that he was against bringing in laws through ordinances and strongly urged the Centre to constructively use parliamentary debates to introduce new bills.

"There should have been more debate on this in Parliament. Laws should not be made through ordinances. ...They should take it back," Kumar said.

Earlier, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, regarding his views on the ordinance pushed by the Government, after he made a controversial remark on the issue on Friday.

In the letter to the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi wrote: "I realize that what I feel about the Ordinance is not in harmony with the Cabinet decision and the Core Group's view. I also know it would be exploited by our political opponents. You know that I have the highest respect for you and I look up to you for your wisdom. I have nothing but the greatest admiration for the manner in which you are providing leadership in extremely difficult circumstances. I hope you will understand the strength of my own conviction about this very controversial issue."

In a major embarrassment to the Congress-led UPA II Government, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi 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 said.

The developments came a day after President Pranab Mukherjee summoned senior Cabinet ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde, Kamal Nath and Kapil Sibal for consultations on the ordinance pending before him for signature.

The Union Cabinet had approved an ordinance to reverse the Supreme Court judgment mandating the immediate disqualification of lawmakers convicted for a criminal offence punishable with a jail term of more than two years.

The ordinance seeks to reverse the Supreme Court judgement that had not only disqualified lawmakers convicted of offences with two years or more in jail, but also barred from contesting elections.