Food Bill may be passed by Lok Sabha today

NEW DELHI: The government is open to amendments in the Food Security Bill, which it hopes the Lok Sabha will pass on Tuesday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting with ministerial colleagues on Monday as part of preparations for a last-ditch effort to get the Lok Sabha to pass the legislation, which will provide cheap grain to nearly twothirds of the population and which many believe will be UPA’s calling card in the next elections.

Regardless of what happens in Parliament, the Congress government of Delhi state plans to launch the scheme on Tuesday to coincide with former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary.

While government managers, reassured of support from JD(U) and BSP, said they were not worried about the numbers, they sought the cooperation of main opposition parties to ensure that the debate is not stalled by TDP MPs protesting against Telangana.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath sent out a conciliatory message to the Opposition on Monday evening, saying the government would be open to amendments to the bill amid indications that the Lok Sabha Speaker might ask for the removal or suspension of TDP MPs to clear the floor for a debate.

"We are discussing the changes to pass the bill. We are looking to see if the amendments are workable," Nath told reporters after the meeting called by the prime minister. "There should be no politics over the food bill," he said.

Meanwhile, SP leader Mulayam Singh will hold a meeting of his MPS on Tuesday and the government is hopeful that SP would support the bill. The government’s all-out efforts to have the legislation passed comes as pressure mounted on it from the Congress leadership.