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No disrespect to RS, says government

The government today defended in the Lok Sabha its decision to revoke President's rule in Bihar in the face of opposition charges that the authority of Parliament was denigrated when the statutory resolution for ratification of central rule was not brought before the Rajya Sabha.

Responding in zero hour to criticism of the government for deciding the fate of the Bihar government in a cabinet meeting instead of facing the Rajya Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Kumaramangalam disagreed with the description of opposition members that the authority of the house was belittled.

He said the government had brought the motion for the ratification of President's rule in Bihar in the Lok Sabha as the first item because some of the opposition parties were urgently pressing for it.

The government, he said, exercised the constitutional obligation and the motion was put to vote after debate and it was adopted. But after making last-ditch attempts to mobilise the opinion of opposition parties in favour of the motion last evening, the government made its assessment and finding itself in a minority, exercised its constitutional option of taking a decision in the cabinet.

Opposition members condemned the government and demanded that it explain its faux pas on the Bihar issue having wasted both time and money of Parliament though it was in full knowledge of the fate of the motion in the Upper House.

Prof Kurien, chief whip of the Congress charged the government with undermining the authority of Parliament by not bringing the motion in the Rajya Sabha. He said the Rajya Sabha was bypassed by the government.

UNI

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