Reconsider ordinance, get allies on board: What Congress core group said

The core group of the Congress, which met today to discuss the controversial ordinance that would offer a lifeline to politicians convicted in criminal cases, decided that the legislation should be reconsidered by the Cabinet and should be pushed forward only after bringing the party’s allies on board.

The Congress core group met today, soon after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met with the Prime Minister in order to explain his outburst against the ordinance on 27 September in which he deemed it ’nonsense’ and said it should be ’torn up'.

According to a CNN-IBN report, the core group has said that the Cabinet, which is meeting later today, should reconsider the ordinance that is presently lying with the president.

In keeping with demands with allies like the NCP, the core group has said that a meeting should be held with allies after which the ordinance should be withdrawn, stated the report.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi told ABP News,“Decision has to be taken by cabinet, whatever decision is taken will be positive, Rahulji’s view can’t be ignored.”

The cabinet note for the meeting to be held later today already specifies that the Cabinet can either withdraw the ordinance or await the President’s decision on the matter and the standing committee’s verdict on the bill.

The ordinance was the last hope of Rajya Sabha MP Rasheed Masood and UPA ally Lalu Prasad Yadav who have been convicted in different cases and stand to be disqualified from contesting polls and losing their existing seats.