“Parties that disrupt and sloganeer rather than discuss issues lose out politically. So we appeal for positive discussions on Bills and to pass the Bills,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said after the meeting, which began with a symbolic walkout by the TMC and opposition parties protesting the presence of 20 rebel Trinamool MPs at the gathering.
After TMC’s Mahua Moitra argued that the rebels were simply TMC MPs facing disqualification for jumping ship in violation of the 91st amendment to the Constitution, Rijiju said the government could not ignore a “large bloc which had been allowed separate seating in the Lok Sabha by the Speaker”.
The petition of the rebels to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India is pending with Speaker Om Birla, who has asked for some additional documents.
Although Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Deputy Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha, did not bring up the Constitution amendment Bill linking delimitation to women’s reservation at the all-party meeting today, Rijiju later signalled that it may be brought as additional agenda.
At present, this Bill is not among the eight listed for the session.
Asked if the Bill could be brought, Rijiju said, “So far we have issued a list of eight Bills. If additional Bills come, we will discuss in the business advisory committees of Houses and inform parties. We won’t surprise them. We will follow the rules.”
The delimitation Bill remains the most contentious agenda on the table, with the Congress repeating the demand for an all-party meeting today and the Samajwadi Party dubbing any new draft of the Bill as an attempt to impose dictatorship.
The original Bill tabled in a special session in April had been defeated by the joint opposition.
Importantly, the DMK, which is part of the opposition INDIA bloc, today said it would take a final call once the new draft Bill “comes in public domain”. Inside the meeting, TR Baalu of the DMK argued for a 25-year freeze on delimitation should the new draft Bill adversely impact southern states.
“Let the government bring the Bill,” said DMK’s Tiruchi Siva. CPM’s John Brittas also said it was for the government to make a move on the delimitation issue since the previous Bill stood defeated. The government should hold discussions with the Opposition before bringing any such Bill, be it delimitation, FCRA amendment or one nation one election.”
The Congress, SP and the TMC, however, continued to voice strong opposition to the delimitation agenda of the government even as the DMK appeared open to looking at the Bill conditionally — interests of Tamil Nadu being safeguarded.
In another development, Rijiju said while the Congress could make a demand for an all-party meeting on delimitation, “they cannot force us to take a particular step and it cannot be my way or the highway”.
In all, leaders of 40 parties attended the meeting today where Rajnath Singh started with an appeal to all parties to work together for national interests amid the West Asia war.
“I urge all parties that we have noted their points and they should now allow positive discussions on Bills and pass them because parties that only sloganeer and do not debate suffer political losses. Everyone should take part in debates,” Rijiju said, urging the Opposition not to disrupt the House.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, however, said it was “meaningless” to discuss issues at the meeting “as 40 leaders present their views and five leaders hear them out, but those taking decisions do not attend”.