New Delhi: A day after the historic Triple Talaq Bill cleared the Rajya Sabha hurdle, Opposition parties on Wednesday cried foul and claimed that the government “clandestinely” listed the legislation after assuring them that it would be considered to be referred to a select committee.
The Opposition faced heavy criticism on Tuesday after the Bill was passed due to many abstentations, including that four MPs of the Congress, which helped the Bill sail through in the Upper House.
While the Congress officially denied that any whip was issued, this newspaper was privy to a whip issued by the party’s Rajya Sabha chief Bhubaneswar Kalita asking all MPs to be present for “important” legislations to be passed on July 30.
Sources said that the Party was seeking written replies from the MPs in the matter.
However, possibly in a bid to set the record straight that they could not manage to fightback, the Opposition leaders addressed a joint presser Wednesday morning.
The joint press conference, however, showed the depleted ranks of the Opposition. Besides, Trinamul Congress, RJD, DMK, CPI(M) and CPI were the other parties present. There had been many abstentatins from SP, BSP, NCP and the PDP besides other fence-sitting parties like TRS, YSRCP and BJD.
The Opposition leaders said that just after the Right to Information Bill was passed in the Upper House, the floor leaders of Opposition parties had an informal meeting with Parlaimentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, Leader of the House Thawarchand Gehlot and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Venkaiah Naidu and said that the Triple Talaq Bill, UAPA Bill and two other Bills would be considered for select committee referral. Based on this assurace, the parties did not force issue a whip to their members, except the TMC which has issued a three-line whip to it MPs till August 7, they said.
However, "Triple Talaq was listed clandestinely at around 9.30 PM on Monday night, leaving the Opposition with no opportunity to issue a three-line whip",
"They gave us a list of 23 Bills. We wanted at least half of them to be sent to Select Committees, but they said, make it as less as you can. So, we, collectively, all the Opposition, not me alone or my party, identified six Bill as ‘A’ category and two Bills under ‘B’ category. Then, the list was taken by the Government. The Bill, which was discussed yesterday, I am sorry to say, that was number one Bill, which we had identified for sending to a Select Committee," Mr Azad said.
Earlier on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, he said; "on one side, you are seeking list from the Opposition of the Bills to be sent toSelect Committees. But you don’t come back. You bring it for passage and and get it passed. You tell your Members to be present and we remain under the illusion that this Bill is going to be referred to a Select Committee. This should not be done. This is not fair on the part of the Government".
Trinamul Congress Parliamentary Party leader Derek O ‘Brien said this was a gentleman’s deal, In a Parliamentary system, this is how you go about it.
He said that his party was the only one which could ensure the presence of all MPs except one as they had issued a three-line whip till August 7. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said Parliament is not a factory to churn out laws.
