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The Government could not get the Food Security Bill passed in Lok Sabha as the Opposition parties, along with the United Progressive Alliance’s supporter, Samajwadi Party, disrupted the proceedings on Thursday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has maintained that it will not allow the Centre to pass any legislation other than the Constitutional requirements such as the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bills.
Even as Food Minister K.V. Thomas moved the amendments to the landmark legislation amid the din, the Congress is hopeful that it can pass the Bill during the ongoing Budget session.
The Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, discussed the Budget and Finance Bill as the Opposition walked out of the House. The Upper House returned the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill after a brief discussion and completed the exercise for the General and Railways Budgets.
Replying to the debate, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the Government had already added 50 lakh people into the tax net.
“I have added 50 lakh more taxpayers into the tax net over three-month period. We would like to do the same thing in 2013-14 and we will add many more,” Chidambaram said in Rajya Sabha.
He said the Revenue Department will have to adopt technology and non-invasive ways of collecting taxes to produce better results in this financial year.
“There are taxpayers, tax evaders and those who help the tax evaders. It is a shame that only 42,800 people in this country admit to having more than Rs 1 crore income. I will encourage them to recover more tax arrears,” he said.
The Finance Minister urged the political parties to sink their differences and evolve a consensus on the economy.
“Can’t we take a bipartisan approach? All of us want India to grow at a rapid pace so that we can lift many more millions out of poverty,” he said.
Opposition walkout
Ahead of the discussion, the Opposition parties walked out of the House.
Before walking out, Opposition leader Arun Jaitley said the Government was engaged in covering up its own corruption.
“Whatever facts have come forward, some businessmen are benefiting ... the needle of suspicion is toward the Prime Minister, who was the Coal Minister at the time. The Law Minister is giving a reply we are not interested in,” he said.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in
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