Centre mulls a joint sitting over Nripendra Misra
"Mr Misra was appointed on the basis of his competence and track record"
New Delhi: The Modi government may have its first Parliamentary litmus test in the Rajya Sabha on the issue of bringing an Ordinance to clear the decks for the appointment of Nripendra Misra as the PM’s principal secretary.
The Opposition parties questioned the move of bringing the Ordinance while the government defended it.
Though the BJP, which leads the ruling NDA have 66 members in the Rajya Sabha, Opposition Congress, which leads the UPA have 86 members.
Experts believe that if the NDA government fails to enlist support of floating parties like the AIADMK, the BSP and the BJD, it will have no option but to convene a joint sitting of both the Houses to get the Parliamentary nod on the Ordinance paving way for the appointment of Mr Mishra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister.
“Now with Parliament scheduled to meet on June 2, there was no immediacy which necessitated that the ordinance route should be taken just because they have a majority in the Parliament, they have decided to adopt a process which, for lack of better words, borders on impropriety,” Congress leader Manish Tewari said.
Downplaying the issue Union minister Venkiah Naidu said, “There is no issue at all. There is no controversy at all. My friends in the Opposition do not have any other issue to rake up.”
Mr Naidu said that Mr Misra was appointed on the basis of his competence and track record. He also informed that the Ordinance would be given the shape of a Bill in stipulated time.