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Opposition walks out from Rajya Sabha over Prasar Bharati

The entire Opposition today staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha protesting against the government's attempts to bypass the House on the Prasar Bharati Bill which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj's assurance that the government would bring in the legislation as soon as it obtained a Presidential recommendation for placing it before the House did not convince the determined Opposition to change their mind. Leader of the Opposition Dr Manmohan Singh led the Congress and other parties out of the House, saying the minister's statement did not carry conviction.

Dr Singh had raised the issue wanting to know why the Upper House was bypassed and the Prasar Bharati Bill not brought for discussions despite the Opposition parties promising to co-operate with the government. He said bypassing the House was not a 'good precedent' and the House should not be deprived of giving its considered opinion.

Swaraj said the Bill concerning the consolidated fund required Presidential recommendation and the government sought his assent as soon as the Lok Sabha passed the Bill on Friday. ''Once we receive this, the government would bring the Bill before the House,'' she added.

The minister said it was sad the Leader of Opposition had alleged that the government was taking a confrontationist path without speaking to her.

Pranab Mukherjee (Congress) agreed that the Bill required Presidential recommendation,, but there were umpteen number of instances where the clearance from the President was obtained after the House had commenced discussions. He suggested that the House be extended by one or two days and consider the Bill.

S R Bommai (Janata Dal) also endorsed this opinion while Mohammad Salim said the Presidential assent could be obtained in an hour if the government so wanted. Gurudas Das Gupta (CPI) wanted to know why the Rajya Sabha was being bypassed.

This prompted Swaraj to say that neither the government nor the Opposition could bypass the constitutional requirement. She also clarified that the government had no disrespect for the House and said it was in this very House she commenced her political career at the national level.

She also took exception to the attitude of members who had accepted Prasar Bharati as a law when her predecessor had brought it in the form of an ordinance but were making objections now when she wanted to bring it strictly under constitutional means. She said she would not have brought it before the Lok Sabha also if she wanted to bring it in the form of an ordinance.

Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) said the members could not force the government to place the Bill and it had to go by the constitutional procedures.

Swaraj's statement that she would go by the Constitution which was like the Geeta and the Bible for the government prompted the CPI members to stage a walkout. She said some parties were angry over the smooth passage of the Bill in the Lower House.

Later, the Congress, the CPI-M, the Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal too walked out after Singh stated that Swaraj's statement did not carry conviction. The SP and RJD had supported the Prasar Bharati Bill in the Lok Sabha.

UNI