With time running out for UPA-2 to fulfill its 2009 poll manifesto, the government is gearing up to call a five-day special session of Parliament from July 1 to 5 in a bid to pass two contentious laws — the National Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011.
The proposal for a special session awaits Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s approval, and is likely to be placed before the Union Cabinet next week after Dr Singh is back from his ongoing two-nation tour. The urgency in calling a special session even though the Monsoon Session begins from August 8 is that states will need a minimum of six months to put in place mechanisms to deliver the Food Bill’s benefits to its recipients, and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls are due by April-May next year.
Sources said the move for a special session was fast-tracked after Congress president Sonia Gandhi voiced her displeasure at the delay in passing the two bills. “The matter was discussed among senior Cabinet ministers, who have agreed to hold a special session for five days from July 1 to 5. The five-day duration will allow MPs to discuss the Food Bill and Land Bill to their satisfaction,” a source said.
While the government had spiritedly pushed the Food Bill in the just-concluded Budget Session, it remained elusive due to disruptions in both Houses.