Cong Core group to take a call on anti-graft ordinances

The top leadership of Congress will today hold consultations to take a call on promulgation of ordinances to deal with corruption and protection of rights being pushed by party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress Core Group, chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by her side, will meet here this evening to take a decision on brining the ordinances.
Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Political Secretary to Gandhi Ahmed Patel are the other members of the Core Group.
The Union Cabinet, which met this morning, decided to put off a decision on the ordinances amid speculation that its special meeting could be held early next week on the issue.

There was, however, no official word on it by the government.
As soon as the Cabinet had taken up the packed agenda for the day, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth announced that items relating to the ordinances stand "postponed", sources said.

The sources said ordinances on Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill and Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill - both dealing with corruption - were on the agenda.
These are among the anti-corruption bills being pushed by Rahul Gandhi to create a "framework" to fight graft.
These proposed legislations could not be passed during the extended Winter Session of Parliament due to disturbances.

Along with these, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, Rights of Persons with Disability Bill, Security Laws (Amendment) Bill and Delhi High Court Act (Amendment) Bill were also on the agenda.
The Law Ministry had sent notes with all the ordinances on whether the reasons given by various ministries to promulgate the executive orders were acceptable to the Union Cabinet. The reason was that often ordinances have to withstand judicial scrutiny.