The Congress Core Group that met here on Friday to hold consultations on whether the government should promulgate ordinances to complete its unfinished agenda to tackle corruption and strengthen the machinery to protect the SCs/STs and the disabled, ended without a decision, with sources saying doubts were expressed about the appropriateness of a government promulgating a slew of ordinances on the eve of general election.
It was also felt that President Pranab Mukherjee, these sources said, might not agree to clear so many ordinances at this stage. Indeed, though the meeting was inconclusive, it seemed unlikely at the time of our going to press that the government would attempt to promulgate the ordinances.
This became clear after the Union Cabinet, which met on Friday morning, decided to postpone a decision on the ordinances amid speculation that a special Cabinet meeting might be held as early as Saturday on the issue. Shortly after the Cabinet met here, government sources said, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth announced that the items relating to the ordinances stand “postponed.”
The ordinances planned included the anti-corruption Bills being pushed by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to create a “framework” to fight graft — the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill and the Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill. The government was unable to pass these Bills during the recent extended winter session of Parliament because of repeated disturbances in the two Houses.
The SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, the Rights of Persons with Disability Bill, the Security Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Delhi High Court Act (Amendment) Bill were also on the Cabinet's agenda on Friday.
The members of the Congress Core Group, that was chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence, are Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Ms Gandhi's Political Secretary, Ahmed Patel are the other members of the Core Group.
The special invitees to the meeting were Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, Railways and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, and MoS in the PMO V. Narayanasamy, who left before the meeting concluded.
