Would like food bill preferably passed by Parliament: Cong

As a divided Union Cabinet shunned the ordinance route on the food bill issue, Congress today said no option is ruled out over the legislation, though it would "prefer" its passage by Parliament.

"We would like this bill preferably passed by Parliament, but no option is ruled out," party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters.

He hoped that there would be further consensus on the watershed legislation among all political parties and that it will be passed in the coming session of Parliament.

His remarks came close on the heels of government announcing plans to convene a special session of Parliament for passage of the ambitious measure which is seen as a gamechanger by the party in the Lok Sabha polls not far away.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the Cabinet could not arrive at a decision on bringing an ordinance to implement UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's pet programme and instead decided to court Opposition parties for passage of the bill in a special Parliament session.

Noting that the Congress was committed for the bill, Ahmed said that no option is ruled out if there was no consensus and Parliament remained paralysed due to disruptions.

He brushed aside questions that government deferred the issue of ordinance following threat by SP of withdrawal of support.

The bill was tabled in the Budget session of Parliament but could not be taken up for discussion due to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha over various scams.

The bill aims to give legal rights to 67 per cent of the population over a uniform quantity of 5 kg foodgrains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.