Pranab keeps Govt waiting on Food Ordinance

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New Delhi: President  Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday kept the government waiting for his consent to the ordinance on the National Food Security Bill, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. 
The Opposition  meanwhile  trained its guns on the government for scuttling the discussion in Parliament over the legislation. Mukherjee’s decision to go through  the ordinance before he puts his stamp was being  viewed as a signal that unlike others he “is not a rubber stamp President.”
However, the government is confident that the President will clear the ordinance once he goes through it. Incidentally, the food Bill had the support of Mukherjee during his tenure as Finance Minister. Sources in Rashtrapati Bhavan  said that the President would like to satisfy himself on the issue of "urgency" in promulgating an ordinance for the legislation when the monsoon session of   Parliament is due in a few weeks’ time.
President's press secretary  Venu Rajamony  told this newspaper that “the  notification has not yet been signed”, while denying reports that the President had raised queries on the ordinance.
Till late Thursday night, the President had not given his nod for the ordinance. Union Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K. V. Thomas, who wanted to brief  the media on the cabinet decision, had to postpone the press meet  as the  President did not clear the ordinance. The ministry is hopeful that the Presidential nod  will come on Friday.
Incidentally, the President would be leaving for Kanpur on Friday to attend an IIT function. The ministry had sent the ordinance for notification to the  PMO on Wednesday, which then forwarded it to the President for his clearance. Opposition parties, including the BJP and the  Left, have raised objections to the manner in which the Bill was being pushed  through the ordinance route, as the monsoon session of  Parliament is due to commence soon.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj wondered  through her Twitter handle if the hurry in promulgating an ordinance was an indication for winter elections. However, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tiwari maintained that the ordinance should not be seen in the context of early elections.
The Bill was drafted by the National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by  UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The Bill was also part of the poll promise of the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.