)
The UPA government left without much maneouver room, in the face of an unrelenting Opposition is likely to adopt the ordinance route to bring in its all crucial Land bill and Food bill. After the indictment by the Supreme Court today, the Opposition BJP has made clear that BJP that it will be boycotting all meetings called by the Lok Sabha Speaker and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath. In such a scenario, senior sources within the government have indicated that Parliament may be adjourned sine die in this week itself.
With all eyes in Parliament today on the hearing in the Supreme Court on the Coal scam case, the Opposition went all out lambasting the government outside the house and disrupting proceedings within the Parliament. Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj hauled up the government in her address in the Lok Sabha to the Finance bill, after which the BJP staged a walk out.
Sushma Swaraj without mincing her words later said, “There is a situation of total breakdown and government is responsible for it.”
The Congress meanwhile on the backfoot over the apex court observations today with Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi saying, “Of course, it is not a pleasant comment for any dispensation, for any composition of the Government.” A senior Cabinet minister added that, “Lets wait for May 8th for the court hearing, by the time the CBI will have filed its complete affidavit answering all the queries of the court.”
For the Congress led UPA the situation is becoming increasingly untenable with the Opposition disrupting the Parliament everyday demanding the Law Minister and the Prime Minister’s resignation. Now in addition, the apex court rap has provided further ammunition to the Opposition.
However for the Congress led UPA which had placed all its bets on getting the Land bill and the Food bill cleared, the present scenario offers no prospect of any of these bills making it through Parliament.“We still can bring them in through an Ordinance,” says a senior Cabinet minister indicating that at any cost these legislations, which the Congress President Sonia Gandhi herself wants in place, will be in place albeit through a Presidential Ordinance once the Parliament is not in session.
In all likelihood government sources indicate that the Parliament could be adjourned sine die in the next few days; tomorrow being a holiday for May 1.
