Lokpal debate in first part of budget session: Pawan Kumar Bansal

The Lokpal bill will be taken up for debate in the first half of the budget session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday.

Amid the opposition’s demands that the debate on the ombudsman bill be resumed in the upper house, Bansal said it would be taken up for discussion in the first part of the Budget session after the financial business.

“Notwithstanding the primacy accorded to financial business in the first half of the session, we want to bring the (Lokpal) bill for discussion in this part of the session,” he said, replying to a notice given by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley.

He said the government had studied the 187 amendments brought by the members in the bill.

The Lokpal bill was taken up by Rajya Sabha for discussion on Dec 29, the last day of extended winter session of parliament. The debate could not be concluded as the house was adjourned sine-die at midnight, amidst opposition protest.

The first part of budget session ends March 30.

Jaitley, who raised the issue when the house met at 11 a.m., cited Rule 257 or parliament rules and said since the debate was left incomplete it should be taken up immediately when the house reconvenes.

Bansal, however, said that that the rule did not apply in this case as the house was adjourned sine-die.

“I don’t agree that any discussion that is left incomplete has to be taken up first. Motion of thanks to the president’s address is the first priority, second is discussion on general budget and railway budget, then we will take up the Lokpal bill in this part of the session itself,” Bansal said.

Jaitley’s demand was also backed by other opposition parties, including the left, which wanted to know government’s plan for taking up the debate.

“The minister had said they will come up with a road map for bringing the bill, but they have not come up with anything so far,” Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.