The Government’s efforts to push the Insurance Bill in this session of Parliament seem to be showing results.
Sticking to their stand that the Bill should be sent to the select committee of Parliament, Opposition members have moved individual amendments to the Bill. As of now, the Rajya Sabha has received more than a dozen amendments to the Insurance Bill from various Opposition parties.
The move clearly reflects the apprehension of the Opposition parties that the Bill may be put to vote, along with the amendments by the Government. The Opposition MPs say that moving amendments is part of the procedure.
“The select committee can consider these amendments. Or else, if the Government manages a majority and goes for a discussion on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, we will have to press for these amendments. If these amendments are not given before a particular time, these may not get circulated among other MPs and will not be put to vote,” a senior Opposition MP said.
The Government had asked the Opposition to move amendments to the Bill.
Apart from the Left parties, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are keen to move amendments. A source in the Congress said the party may also move amendments towards the end of this week.
Technical grounds The principal Opposition party, the Congress, maintained on Tuesday that its opposition to the Bill was purely on technical grounds. “I think, there are no double standards on the Bill by the Congress,” party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament House.
Former Commerce Minister Anand Sharma told reporters in the AICC briefing that the statement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that the Opposition will be given three options was without any humility.
“We are being given three options.... This smacks of arrogance. There should be grace and humility while engaging with the Opposition,” he said, adding that the reference to select committee does not mean taking a confrontationist attitude.
“We are in favour of 49 per cent FDI. But, this does not mean the parliamentary processes should be bypassed,” he said.