The controversial Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill roiled the political firmament once again with both Houses of Parliament facing repeated adjournments on Wednesday and the Left parties, along with the RJD and SP, accusing the Congress of striking a “deal” with the BJP. The parliamentary standing committee’s report on the bill was tabled among considerable din in both Houses on Wednesday.

The BJP, after a somersault, is now supporting the bill which it had earlier opposed. In the face of accusations by the Left, RJD and SP of striking a deal with the Congress in order to secure a clean chit for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, it stoutly denied this allegation on Wednesday. It is said to have agreed to go along with the government after the “concessions” it demanded on the bill were “accepted” by the government.
The controversial bill is now expected to come up for approval before the Union Cabinet on Thursday. Enactment of this legislation is vital for operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. There are indications that the bill might be brought before Parliament for its approval in the current session itself.
Neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha were able to transact business on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned thrice, the third time for the day soon after 2 pm. The Upper House was adjourned for the day at noon itself.
The BSP too played a role in forcing adjournments in both Houses as its MPs demanded the dismissal of the BJP-led Karnataka government. This was clearly in retaliation for the BJP targeting ms Mayawati’s party for the farmers’ agitation over forcible land acquisition near Aligarh earlier this week, in which several people lost their lives in police firing incidents.
The din in both Houses began shortly after their respective sittings began. In the Lok Sabha, no sooner had Speaker Meira Kumar taken her seat when BSP members trooped into the well of the House demanding that the Karnataka government be dismissed. RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav too walked right up to the Speaker’s chair, holding above his head a newspaper clipping which claimed that Mr Narendra Modi had been given a clean chit in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav also entered the well of the House protesting against such a “deal”.
Joining the uproar in the Lok Sabha were Telugu Desam MPs who sought dismissal of the Congress-led Andhra Pradesh government over the issue of illegal mining.
The Speaker was forced to adjourn the House until noon. But virtually the same scenes were repeated then, forcing yet another adjournment. RJD and SP MPs shouted “Congress, BJP ka khel. Narendra Modi ko mil gaya bail”; while BSP MPs shouted slogans demanding the dismissal of the B.S. Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka.
In the Rajya Sabha, RJD and SP MPs were joined in their protest by Left MPs. LJP MPs, led by their leader Ram Vilas Paswan, trooped into the well of the House, making the same accusation as in the Lower House — of a deal allegedly having been struck.
BSP and Janata Dal(S) MPs also walked into the well of the House demanding the Karnataka government’s dismissal over the issue of illegal mining.
The House was adjourned until 11.15 am, but could transact no business then either with BSP MPs seeking the Karnataka government’s dismissal. It was then adjourned until noon, but with the din continuing the House was adjourned for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, outside the chamber, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan sat on dharna with two RJD MPs for company near Gandhiji’s statue within the Parliament House premises to protest against the alleged “deal” having been struck.
The Left, which had been steadfastly opposing the nuclear liability bill, claimed on Wednesday that it would “protect” suppliers of nuclear equipment in case of an incident. It also said that the proposed compensation cap of Rs 1,500 crores was still “very low”.