Congress President Sonia Gandhi is opposed to bringing in ordinances to implement the Food Security and Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bills.

She is learnt to have told senior Congress ministers, some of who were in favour of taking the ordinance route, that issuing ordinances on politically sensitive issues will be counter-productive.

According to a top Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi is hopeful that the Bharatiya Janata Party will come on board to pass the Food Security Bill during this session of the Lok Sabha.

She has also asked a group of four ministers — the Home Minister, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, the Food and Consumer Affairs Minister and the Rural Development Minister — to reach out to all non-UPA parties so that the Bills could be considered in the last week of the Budget session. The Government’s floor managers feel that unlike the Land Acquisition Bill, it will be easy to push the Food Security Bill as the Standing Committee has unanimously submitted a report in favour of this, with one dissent note from the CPI (M).

The Congress has already reached out to the CPI (M) and other parties on the issue.

The CPI (M) is willing to hold a debate on the Food Security Bill and has moved amendments to it.

The Government also has moved 70 amendments to the Bill, along with deletion of four clauses.

The Food Security Bill, a pet legislation of Sonia Gandhi, is aimed at providing “legal entitlement to food” to about 70 per cent of the population.

The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill will replace the current Land Acquisition Bill, which dates back to the 19{+t}{+h} century.

jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in

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