Food Bill: Govt looking to get it passed while opposition set to stall

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday tried to push through the passage of the Food Security Bill in Lok Sabha only to be thwarted by an angry Opposition which demanded that law minister Ashwani Kumar and railways minister Pawan Kumar Bansal must resign first.

The House was adjourned within 20 minutes but the face off continued outside, with the government indicating that it would try to get the bill passed and the Opposition claiming to stall it unless its demands were met. The Food Security Bill, a pet project of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, seeks to give right over 5 kg foodgrains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg via ration shops to 67% of the population. With just four days left for the budget session, the government decided to take up the bill despite the Opposition and its ally Mulayam Singh Yadav conveying their disapproval of taking up the legislation without a proper debate.

The Opposition members were surprised when Girija Vyas, who was in the chair, took up the bill for consideration. The entire opposition along with Samajwadi Party (SP) resisted the initiative.

Despite the uproar, the chair continued with the proceedings. Food minister KV Thomas made a statement on the bill, followed by a debate, which was cut short soon, where Congress members Sanjay Nirupam and Bhakta Charan Das, Dinesh Trivedi of Trinamool Congress and NCP’s Sanjeev Naik participated. Sonia Gandhi, who took keen interest joined the applause when UPA MPs praised the bill. But when the Opposition protests grew louder, Vyas adjourned the House for the day. Though Dinesh Trivedi participated in the debate, his party colleagues were seen with other Opposition members in the well of the House.