Cong: No hurry to push N-liability, women’s bill
MUKESH RANJAN
New Delhi, March 21: The ruling Congress on Sunday claimed that the government is neither in hurry to push through either of the two controversial bills — the Women Reservation Bill and the Nuclear Liability Bill — in the Budget Session of Parliament nor it intends to force them on the dissenting members.
Senior party leader and member of Rajya Sabha Rajeev Shukla said, there are only a few bills, which are lined-up for this session of Parliament and if the government wants to get them passed, “there is nothing unusual about it”. He, however, conceded that there was opposition against a few of them, but the government is in “no hurry” to push them through.
“Where is the question of hurry, when the Women Reservation Bill has been pending for last 14 years. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has already made it clear that concerns of all the concerned people will first be addressed before bringing the legislation to the Lok Sabha,” the Congress leader said, adding that this means, the government is not shying away from discussion.
On the Nuclear Liability Bill, which deals with compensation for victims in case of any eventuality of accident, Mr Shukla said, “It is all about protecting common people. Nuclear deal has been done and now the whole exercise is to enhance power generation capacity to make India energy sufficient.”
When the “nuke bill” is being brought keeping in view all the aspects of compensation, Mr Shukla said, “What is the harm?”
Deploring the opposition to the bill, the Congress leader said that those, who are opposing the bill, have not gone into the merit of the legislation. “Keeping this in mind, the government is trying to reach out to them by engaging them in consultation. The NSA is briefing each set of them separately,” he said.
He also reminded the main Opposition NDA as to how during their tenure Congress helped them pass important government legislation.
“During that time, on many occasion government thanked the Opposition Congress for the help. Now we expect same from them,” he added.
