Oppn accuses govt of pushing through bills

The opposition in Lok Sabha on Thursday accused the government of pushing through bills without consulting other parties, a charge rejected by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

As soon as the House met for the day, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Cong), Saugata Roy (TMC) and Kanimozhi (DMK) accused the government of bringing bills for consideration and passage at the last moment, giving little time to members to prepare for the debate.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said the issue was discussed in the business advisory committee meeting.

He said the government took into consideration the demand raised by Chowdhury, who is leader of the Congress in the House, not to take up the Dam Safety Bill on Wednesday.

Speaker Om Birla said in the future he will ensure that leaders from various parties are informed at least a day in advance on upcoming bills. He said his office will also separately keep leaders informed about bills to be brought in the House.

Some members also voiced their displeasure at the decision of not taking up discussion on floods in various parts of the country.