In an unusual collaborative effort, the government and the opposition drafted, tweaked and revised a joint resolution on the granting of bail to 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in full view even as the proceedings during zero hour in the Lok Sabha continued unabated.
First, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was seen showing a handwritten draft to Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, after which he crossed the floor to speak to Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was seated just behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then as he showed it to Mr Modi, the latter gestured to Dr. Tharoor to sit in the front row of the Treasury benches and show it to party veteran L.K Advani: Mr. Naidu then came across and also sat down next to Mr. Advani. Mr. Advani made a few changes to it, after which MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy was asked to get it typed.
By the time the typed version returned, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was in the House: once again, Dr. Tharoor sat next to Ms. Swaraj and Mr. Advani in the front row – she appeared to make many more changes. Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai, too, was consulted — and then the final version was produced, but not before Dr. Tharoor exchanged a few words with the Prime Minister.
But when the resolution was read out in the House, Ms. Swaraj was not in the House.
It later transpired that Mr. Naidu had sought Dr. Tharoor’s help in drafting the resolution, something that the Congress appeared a little uncomfortable with. The entire process took less than half-an-hour.