Amid growing uproar from all sections over the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2017, the Raje government has gone on the back foot, finally. The government has referred the bill to the select committee to review its ‘gagging’ provisions which will table a report in the first week of budget session in February next year.
After Monday night when chief minister Vasundhara Raje informally directed a group of ministers to revisit the laws, the government on Tuesday was in a defensive mode on the floor. When the opposition legislators were storming into the well, shouting slogans demanding farmers loan waiver, home minister Gulab Chand Kataria rose from treasury benches to table a proposal to forward the controversial law to the select committee.
“Considering the sentiments of the people about the provisions of the law, I propose to forward the law to the select committee. The committee will table its report in the first week of next budget session. Members of the committee will be listed soon,” Kataria informed the house. He also added that two provisions, including prosecution sanction, will be taken up by the committee. The speaker sought voice of vote from the house which in majority passed the proposal.
Talking to the scribes at the entrance of the assembly, parliamentary minister Rajendra Rathore said that the committee will be headed by Kataria. “The bill be tabled again in the house with a report of the select committee. All stakeholders will be consulted by the committee to draft the report. The committee will redress all doubts and anomalies. There is no pressure on the government,” said Rathore.
When Kataria was making statement on the proposal he had an altercation with disgruntled BJP member Ghansyam Tiwari who is opposing the bill. Tiwari rushed into the well to confront Kataria also. Both leaders exchanged angry remarks. Prior to this, when Tiwari was not allowed to speak on the bill he stood for a while in his place as a protest too. Meanwhile, Kataria also accused the opposition of making false allegation against government for not taking approval of the President of India on the bill. “The government took approval on the bill from the President on September 4. It was released on September 6 and notified on September 7. Nobody read the bill during the past one and half month,” Kataria said on the floor.
The question hour could take up only one question as the speaker adjourned the house till 1pm due to the commotion made by Congress legislators. Replying to this sole question PWD minister Yunus Khan announced Rs1200 crore for road repairs in Alwar, a bypoll bound constituency.
Mlas get relief
The Assembly has revoked the suspension of two MLAs - BSP Manoj Kumar and Independent MLA Hanuman Beniwal. Along with the two MLAs, the speaker on April 26 had suspended 12 other Congress MLAs for indiscipline. The suspension of the Congress members was reduced to one day on the very day of suspension following their apology. As soon as the house assembled, BSP MLA Pooranmal Saini requested the speaker to revoke the suspension, following which the speaker made a proposal of revoking their suspension.
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