RS to discuss Aadhaar issue on Wednesday

The Rajya Sabha will discuss on Wednesday the issue of Aadhaar being made mandatory for various services and schemes.
This was announced by Deputy Chairman P J Kurien after Jairam Ramesh (Cong) wanted to know about the fate of the notice for a short-duration discussion he gave on biometric identifier Aadhaar.
Kurien said the discussion was listed on March 22 but since that day was inconvenient to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, it was postponed. Now it is listed for March 29, he added.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh wanted to know the fate of his notice for a substantive motion to discuss the conduct of Goa Governor who had not invited the largest party to form the government after the recent assembly polls.

Singh had moved a substantive motion under Rule 168 after Goa Governor Mridula Sinha invited the BJP rather than the Congress, which had emerged as the largest party in the assembly polls, for forming the government.
In the 40-member Goa assembly, the Congress had got 17 seats and the BJP had won 13 seats. The BJP then tied up with smaller parties and showed its majority. During the vote of confidence in the assembly, it got 22 votes.

Singh, who was in-charge of the party's affairs in Goa, had alleged that the Governor had gone against the established practice and constitutional propriety.

Today, when the House met for the day, Singh said his substantive motion on the conduct of the Goa Governor, who "chose to ignore" the single largest party by inviting the BJP to form government in the state, was admitted but no date has been given for a discussion.
"Now I am being asked to change the substantive motion into a short duration discussion," he said. "I will not accept (that)."
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the Chair has not asked him to change the motion.
Before taking up a discussion, the Leader of the House has to consult the Chairman and the time has to be fixed, Singh said.

He said when Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was Leader of Opposition, the then UPA government had accepted his demand for a debate on the conduct of the then Bihar Governor, who had to resign after that.
Kurien said it was true that he had himself advised Singh to bring a substantive motion if he wanted to discuss the conduct of a Governor.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi too had then said that the government has no objection if a substantive motion is brought, he said.
The time and date for a discussion after such a motion is admitted is to be decided in consultation with the Leader of the House, Kurien said.

Kurien went on to quote the rule under which such a practice is followed, after Singh sought to know under which rule should the Leader of the House be consulted for deciding on a time and date for a discussion.
Later, in the day, Singh again wanted to know about the fate of his motion.
Kurien said a ruling has been given already.
The Congress leader then said, "the ruling has come, but a timeline has to be fixed.