Accusing the opposition of not agreeing to extend the Parliament session to pass pending anti-graft bills, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Friday said the government was with no choice but to “unhappily” decide on adjourning it sine die.
“I discussed with the political parties that the session should be extended by another few days to pass these anti-corruption bills. It was the intention of the government to extend the House.
“There was no problem in extending the House for the next couple of days, but the political parties did not agree with me,” Mr. Nath told reporters in New Delhi.
The extended Winter Session had started on February 5.
Mr. Nath said that despite his attempts to persuade, the political parties did not agree to extend to the session. He said that he had a final discussion with various parties this morning.
“They have not agreed despite the fact that these bills have been pending since 2011, 2012, 2013 and have been through standing committees. It’s not that these bills have come in the last two, three months. So very unhappily, the government has no choice but to adjourn the House sine die today and we will be ending the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha on Friday in the afternoon,” he said.
The minister was asked if the government planned to take the ordinance route to enact the anti-corruption legislations, to which, he said, that the matter would be discussed.
“We will discuss the matter...., what are the views of the President.... Because the country needs that the anti-corruptions legislations, which are pending.... But despite all my efforts, the political parties did not agree to extend the session,” he said.
Mr. Nath had said on Thursday that the anti-graft laws were needed after the passage of the Lokpal Bill.
