Bisheshwar Mishra /New Delhi
Trinamul Congress MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy Thursday got the Rajya Sabh record corrected by pointing out a mistake made by deputy chairman P J Kuriran while trying to get the Anti corruption Bill passed yesterday.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkiah Naidu today corrected the House records to state that a Bill to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 had not been passed by the Lok Sabha yet. Kurian had yesterday said that the bill had already been passed by the Lok Sabha. Chairman Naidu appreciated Sukhendu Roy’s intervention through point of order. “This is the way MPs must contribute and make correct interventions,” Naidu said.
Raising the issue soon after two new members to oath of joining the House, Roy raised a point of order saying that the Deputy Chairman P J Kurien should recall his statement of yesterday that the Bill he has allowed the minister to move has been passed by the Lok Sabha and transmitted to this House.
“The Bill was brought to the Rajya Sabha on August 19, 2013 and was referred to a parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny. The panel then submitted its report a year later but the legislation was referred to a Select Committee of Rajya Sabha, which submitted its report on August 11, 2016,”Roy said and added that the government brought the Bill to the House on April 4, 2018 only.
“The bill was not passed by Lok Sabha,” Roy asserted. The TMC leader said the order passed by the Chair yesterday was under wrong premise and he should recall it. Correcting the record, Mr Naidu said the Bill to amend the anti-corruption law was the one reported by the Select Committee of the House.
Opposition members protested the attempts by the government to mislead the House on the issue as some ministers had also said that the Bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha. But the issue was lost in the din created by other opposition parties raising issues ranging from special category status to Andhra Pradesh to the constitution of Cauvery Water Management Board. And the chairman had to adjourn the proceedings when some members trooped into the well and started shouting slogans. The chairman then adjourned the House till 2.30 pm.
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Mr Roy had yesterday sought a division of vote on introduction of the Bill. But due to din and members raising slogans from the Well, Kurien could not take up the division that could have paved the way for introducion and subsequent passage of the Bill.
Nevertheless, the Anti Corruption Bill could not be passed today also due to continued protests by various opposition members raising different issues. When the House reconvened at 2.30 pm, Kurien was in the chair and he said that he would begin from where he had left yesterday. That is he will take the division of votes to passé the Anti corruption bill.
He asked all the protesting members to settle down and ordered for clearing of the lobbies. He even threatened the protesting members that their voting rights will be withdrawn but there was no effect. So he adjourned the House for the day.