The government is in no mood to concede the Opposition’s demand of a judicial inquiry in the coal block allocation and cancellation of allotment of the coal blocks. Instead, it plans to go ahead with the legislative business despite the BJP’s “diabolical design” to disrupt Parliament on the Coalgate issue.
A bill seeking to replace an ordinance on setting up of centres like AIIMS has to be passed in this session itself as classes are beginning from September 15 in such centres set up in five states recently.
A senior minister said, “This bill cannot wait.” It is learnt that the government was keen to pass at least 18 of the 32 bills listed for consideration in the session which concludes on September 7.
These included some anti-corruption bills like the Whistleblowers’ Bill and Prevention of Bribery to Foreign Officials Bill. Besides, a bill on chemical convention and another against sexual harassment of women are pending.
Asked about it, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that no decision has been taken about rushing through any bill in Parliament.
A meeting of senior Congress leaders and Union ministers presided by party chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday took stock of the pending legislative business in the session and the strategy ahead.
Mr Bansal, who briefed the meeting, later went hammer and tongs against the BJP accusing it of having a “diabolical design to subvert the system and democracy”.
Mr Bansal also rejected all the three demands, resignation of the Prime Minister, judicial inquiry in the coal block allocation and cancellation of allotment of the coal blocks.
“I can say it in my personal capacity that there is no question of cancelling the allotments as nothing wrong has been done,” he said.
Rejecting the BJP’s demand for the PM’s resignation, Mr Bansal said, “The Prime Minister has not been sworn in by the Opposition” adding that “this is great insult to people that we do not accept your decision.”
“How could you talk of judicial inquiry. You want the Parliamentary system to run or not. A CBI probe is already on and the wrongdoers will be brought to book.”