The government on Thursday deferred a decision on the Food Security Ordinance, regarded as UPA chief Sonia Gandhi’s pet project, after agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and finance minister P. Chidambaram raised objections.
For almost a year the proposed legislation on a legal right to food entitlement has been moving back and forth for lack of political will within the government, despite the fact that Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been trying to push it through to fulfil the party’s promise in the 2009 LS election. Government sources say the move may be politically correct but is not economically sound. “This is the reason why the Prime Minister, finance minister and agriculture minister are not that enthusiastic”, a source said.
While the matter was due to be taken up by the Cabinet Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said given the demands for a Parliament discussion, it should be deferred and efforts made to ensure it was thoroughly discussed in Parlia-ment, sources added.
Mr Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting: “The government will make one more attempt to forge a consensus with Opposition parties on passage of the bill in a special session of Parliament”.
Food and consumer affairs minister K.V. Thomas, however, insisted the “option of the ordinance route” is still open if “efforts to convince the Opposition fail”.