Key policy Bills, such as the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, the National Identification Authority of India Bill, Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill and the Direct Taxes Code Bill are unlikely to be passed in the Winter Session of Parliament.

The Congress’s “strident” stand on the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report on spectrum has irked the Bharatiya Janata Party, the principal Opposition party.

The BJP has decided not to cooperate with the Government to pass the legislations protesting the “attitude” of the ruling party despite the electoral defeats.

“We are in no mood for cooperating with the Government,” a senior BJP leader said.

Other than the discussion and voting on Supplementary Demands for Grants on the general and Railway budgets, no other serious work is likely to be transacted in the House. Members of the Opposition parties said the Government was not taking any efforts to bring the House in order.

The Opposition members had protested in both the Houses that their dissent notes submitted on the JPC report on spectrum was edited by the panel’s Chairman P.C. Chacko.

The session was disrupted continuously for three days on various issues including the death of children in the Muzaffarnagar camps and attacks against fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Meanwhile, Chacko said he acted according to the rules and accommodated the dissent notes of the JPC members.

“Although Direction 68(3) stipulates that there can be no Minute of Dissent to the Committee Report, the Chairman of the JPC liberally allowed the Members to submit their Minute of Dissent by giving sufficient notice period to make their submissions.

“The very fact that a large number of Members gave their Minutes of the Dissent reveals implicit acceptance of the due adoption of the Report,” he said.

jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in

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