03-21-2005, 11:12 PM
May be the end is near. May be I am dreaming! Who knows?
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http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?m...t&counter_img=1
The chinks within the UPA are growing wider by the day. Till now the ruling 'family's' discord was debated in the media and co-ordination committee of the Congress-led alliance. But during the last 48 hours, the UPA's disharmony has surfaced in the Parliament twice, much to the embarrassment of the Manmohan Singh government.
Monday also exposed Left parties duplicity on two crucial issues which squarely went against the declared Communist agenda. While Left walked out during the introduction of the pension fund regulatory bill and vowed to vote against it, the communists looked ready to sail with the government on the Patent (amendment) bill.
Realising that the NDA was taking just the opposite stand on these two bills--supporting the pension bill and opposing the patent bill-- the Left parties cleverly adopted a two-pronged strategy to save UPA government from losing on the floor of the House if the Opposition pressed for a division on these two bills.
Barely two after the RJD MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha against a decision of the UPA government of which it is as an ally, the Left parties followed suit on Monday by trooping out of the Lower House during the introduction of the pension regulatory authority Bill.
The RJD's decision to walk-out on the issue of imposition of President rule in Bihar, is particularly galling for the Government. This may be one of the rarest of rare instance in the Parliament when an ally of the government with eight ministers in the Union Cabinet, had walked out to protest against a decision endorsed by the very Cabinet.
For the UPA government, which is already facing embarrassment because of the daily slugfest between RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, it was a difficult task to answer opposition criticism on breach of collective responsibility of the cabinet.
In a damage-control exercise, Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday tried to clarify in the Rajya Sabha that the decision to bring Bihar under President's rule was a collective responsibility of the Cabinet and there was no problem within the UPA partners. Intervening in the discussion on bringing President's rule in Bihar, the Home Minister said the decision had been taken on principles of 'collective responsibility'.
Even as Mr Patil accused the Opposition of trying to create a cleavage between UPA BJP's Ravi Shanker Prasad demanded that the Prime Minister ask Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to resign on the issue of RJD's walkout.'
"It is a clear case of infraction of collective responsibility," Mr Prasad said, adding, "this is a serious issue and has happened for the first time in the country.
The Left's final plan may ensure that the government was able to push the two bill through, but the " barking' squad caused enough embarrassment to the government.
The CPI(M) clearly said the left parties would vote against the pension bill if the centre pushed it in its present form. The CPI(M), which led other left parties to stage a walkout when the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, said it was vehemently opposed to handing over the pension fund to private players.
"We had opposed when the present pension scheme was introduced, and we will continue to oppose it in parliament--for consideration and passing," CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia told reporters. He said pension was the only social security scheme available to employees and no move should be made which could hamper the interest of the
At the same time, the Left parties have decided to reluctantly support the Patents (Amendment) Bill, likely to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who till Monday morning, was seen to be bearing the brunt of Left's criticism, seemed to have convinced the angry comrades that at the end of the day, all Left demands had been accommodated in the intended legislation.
"We have read the official amendment to the patents bill and feel satisfied knowing that our suggestions have been incorporated. We will vote for the bill's passage in coming days," Forward Bloc general secretary Debrabata Biswas told The Pioneer.
Meanwhile, the BJP and its allies have issued whip to its members to be present in Lok Sabha and vote against it, in the event of a division. The issue would also figure prominently at the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday morning to be followed by a meeting of senior NDA leaders.
"Both BJP and allies have issued whip to their members to be present in the house tomorrow. We will press for division, if necessary", BJP parliamentary party spokesman V K Malhotra told reporters here.
He said it has been the party's consistent stand that the Bill should be referred to a standing committee or select joint committee of parliament and "if this is not accepted by the government, we will vociferously oppose it".
Charging the Left parties with "bargaining" with the government, he said, "we don't have the details but they have agreed on some amendments. This goes against their public posture".
Mr Malhotra said the party did not agree with the government's contention that the country would have to face "international repercussions" if it does not meet the April eight deadline for passing the patent legislation.
On the Pension bill, he said the party wanted the government to remove all apprehensions and ensure that the hard-earned money of the people gets an "assured income".
He also alleged that commerce minister Kamal Nath "did not get back" to BJP after his initial discussions with party leaders on the Patent bill last Friday.
--------------------------------------------
http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?m...t&counter_img=1
The chinks within the UPA are growing wider by the day. Till now the ruling 'family's' discord was debated in the media and co-ordination committee of the Congress-led alliance. But during the last 48 hours, the UPA's disharmony has surfaced in the Parliament twice, much to the embarrassment of the Manmohan Singh government.
Monday also exposed Left parties duplicity on two crucial issues which squarely went against the declared Communist agenda. While Left walked out during the introduction of the pension fund regulatory bill and vowed to vote against it, the communists looked ready to sail with the government on the Patent (amendment) bill.
Realising that the NDA was taking just the opposite stand on these two bills--supporting the pension bill and opposing the patent bill-- the Left parties cleverly adopted a two-pronged strategy to save UPA government from losing on the floor of the House if the Opposition pressed for a division on these two bills.
Barely two after the RJD MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha against a decision of the UPA government of which it is as an ally, the Left parties followed suit on Monday by trooping out of the Lower House during the introduction of the pension regulatory authority Bill.
The RJD's decision to walk-out on the issue of imposition of President rule in Bihar, is particularly galling for the Government. This may be one of the rarest of rare instance in the Parliament when an ally of the government with eight ministers in the Union Cabinet, had walked out to protest against a decision endorsed by the very Cabinet.
For the UPA government, which is already facing embarrassment because of the daily slugfest between RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan, it was a difficult task to answer opposition criticism on breach of collective responsibility of the cabinet.
In a damage-control exercise, Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday tried to clarify in the Rajya Sabha that the decision to bring Bihar under President's rule was a collective responsibility of the Cabinet and there was no problem within the UPA partners. Intervening in the discussion on bringing President's rule in Bihar, the Home Minister said the decision had been taken on principles of 'collective responsibility'.
Even as Mr Patil accused the Opposition of trying to create a cleavage between UPA BJP's Ravi Shanker Prasad demanded that the Prime Minister ask Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to resign on the issue of RJD's walkout.'
"It is a clear case of infraction of collective responsibility," Mr Prasad said, adding, "this is a serious issue and has happened for the first time in the country.
The Left's final plan may ensure that the government was able to push the two bill through, but the " barking' squad caused enough embarrassment to the government.
The CPI(M) clearly said the left parties would vote against the pension bill if the centre pushed it in its present form. The CPI(M), which led other left parties to stage a walkout when the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, said it was vehemently opposed to handing over the pension fund to private players.
"We had opposed when the present pension scheme was introduced, and we will continue to oppose it in parliament--for consideration and passing," CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia told reporters. He said pension was the only social security scheme available to employees and no move should be made which could hamper the interest of the
At the same time, the Left parties have decided to reluctantly support the Patents (Amendment) Bill, likely to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who till Monday morning, was seen to be bearing the brunt of Left's criticism, seemed to have convinced the angry comrades that at the end of the day, all Left demands had been accommodated in the intended legislation.
"We have read the official amendment to the patents bill and feel satisfied knowing that our suggestions have been incorporated. We will vote for the bill's passage in coming days," Forward Bloc general secretary Debrabata Biswas told The Pioneer.
Meanwhile, the BJP and its allies have issued whip to its members to be present in Lok Sabha and vote against it, in the event of a division. The issue would also figure prominently at the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday morning to be followed by a meeting of senior NDA leaders.
"Both BJP and allies have issued whip to their members to be present in the house tomorrow. We will press for division, if necessary", BJP parliamentary party spokesman V K Malhotra told reporters here.
He said it has been the party's consistent stand that the Bill should be referred to a standing committee or select joint committee of parliament and "if this is not accepted by the government, we will vociferously oppose it".
Charging the Left parties with "bargaining" with the government, he said, "we don't have the details but they have agreed on some amendments. This goes against their public posture".
Mr Malhotra said the party did not agree with the government's contention that the country would have to face "international repercussions" if it does not meet the April eight deadline for passing the patent legislation.
On the Pension bill, he said the party wanted the government to remove all apprehensions and ensure that the hard-earned money of the people gets an "assured income".
He also alleged that commerce minister Kamal Nath "did not get back" to BJP after his initial discussions with party leaders on the Patent bill last Friday.