Accusing the Congress-led UPA of bypassing Parliament by issuing an ordinance on Food Security Bill, the BJP on Thursday said ruling Congress acted in a hurry with an eye on polls. However, the government rejected the charge saying it wants to provide food security to crores and alleged that Opposition leaders, who had earlier disrupted Parliament sessions were now shedding “crocodile tears” over parliamentary propriety. Other opposition parties and BJP’s former ally JD(U) also opposed the decision to bring an ordinance.
Questioning the hurry in issuing an ordinance when the next session was approaching, BJP chief Rajnath Singh said his party too wanted the bill to pass but only after a debate and carrying out certain amendments.
“Monsoon Session is probably beginning from the third week of July, what was the need for doing it in such a hurry,” Mr Singh asked. He said there are several flaws in this bill on which the BJP want debate in the Parliament and wanted to pass this bill with “certain amendments.”
“We don’t want to oppose but there should be debate in the Parliament,” said the BJP chief.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat too was critical of the government’s decision saying passing an ordinance ahead of a Parliament session was a contempt of Parliament and injustice to the people.
“For four years, this government did not think that it was a priority to bring a food security legislation and at a time when India has the highest number of malnourished people in the world,” Ms Brinda Karat said.
“And now on the eve of a Parliament session, to push through an ordinance, a bill which has serious flaws, is contempt of Parliament and also injustice to people,” she added.
Former NDA ally, JD(U), also opposed the decision to bring an ordinance. The party’s national chief Sharad Yadav called the step a hasty move and accused the government of being gripped by the spectre of elections.
“This is a hurried move. The spectre of elections has taken hold of them so they have done this without taking the Parliament into confidence,” he said.
Mr Sharad Yadav said he and other leaders were reading the bill and would speak about its positives and negatives when it comes to Parliament.