After getting isolated on the motion to suspend agitating MPs from Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, the Congress is giving conflicting signals whether the national food security bill would be passed in din or only after a debate or the party may “explore other options” if the bill remained in limbo.

But the party on Thursday clear hinted that the non-UPA parties are blocking the food security bill under one pretext or other.
Though the Congress is attacking the main Opposition BJP for betrayal, it is not able to explain as to why the Samajwadi Party, the DMK, the Trinamul Congress, which are not part of the NDA, opposed the government motion moved by the parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath.
A senior member of the Congress parliamentary party said running the House is the responsibility of the Speaker, without explaining how can the Chair maintain order in the House if the floor leaders, whips and chief whips of political parties in the House could not control their own members.
“If the motion was put to vote, then it would be defeated. Atleast this was the mood of the Housel. In that case, why the BJP should come to the rescue of the government,” a BJP official asked.
The Opposition’s line appears to be “either the government should take back its motion or the House should be adjourned sine die on Friday.”
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Sandip Dikshit on Thursday accused the BJP of “looking for excuses to stall the food security measure”.
“If it (the bill) does not pass in this session, the government may have to explore other options,” Mr Dikshit said.
A leader speaking on condition of anonymity said that if the Opposition does not allow the passage of the bill, the government may be left with no other option than to adjourn the House sine die and re-promulgate the ordinance on food security. The Ordinance issued in July will expire at end of the Monsoon Session.
While Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is calling a meeting of the leaders of all parties in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the talk in Opposition circles is that the government could withdraw the motion on Friday and adjourn the House sine die. “The government is in constant touch with all parties and we hope to resolve it,” Mr Dikshit said at the AICC briefing. He at the same time said that the Congress was “surprised” to see the Opposition parties protesting against the resolution moved for suspension of the TDP MPs, which was “done as a last resort” to run the House and after an “understanding” with all parties. “We are disappointed that all those parties, which were expressing a different opinion till Wednesday, on Thursday opposed the resolution. The government must have brought about the motion only when there would have been a broad understanding among political parties. There was some broad agreement among the parties. That is why the motion was brought about,” Mr Dikshit said. Another party leader said that immediately after the House adjourned, Ms Meira Kumar met leaders of all political parties during which Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said that her party’s mood changed as the situation had changed when asked why all of a sudden the BJP had decided to oppose the resolution. Sources in the Congress said that the BJP was expected to walk out after the government moved the motion for suspension. Mr Dikshit also sought to reject the BJP’s contention that a crucial bill like food security cannot be passed in a din.