Govt may consider any decision on land bill only after Bihar polls

New Delhi: Government may consider any decision on the contentious land bill issue only after Bihar polls, expected to be in held in September, even as a parliamentary panel looking into the issue has sought an extension of one week to give its recommendations. [caption id=“attachment_2165391” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] While unanimity eludes the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the bill, government is also facing a mounting attack by opposition on Lalitgate and other issues and as such there is little possibility that it would like to open another front against the Opposition in the short Monsoon session. If the bill is not brought in this session, the next Winter session will take place only after the conclusion of Bihar assembly elections. The buzz in Congress circles is that the government has no other option than to call a joint session of Parliament to pass the bill in its original form as the numbers are stacked against it in Rajya Sabha, where it along with SP, BSP, NCP and JDU are totally opposed to the bill. The party believes that the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the bill will clear it with dissent notes by opposition parties. “There is zero chance of a compromise in the committee. Joint session is the only route if they want a bill,” a senior Congress functionary said speaking separately after the ninth meeting of the panel. The 30-member Joint Committee has 11 BJP MPs. They need five more to clear the bill with a majority. The parliamentary panel examining the contentious land acquisition bill is learnt to have favoured seeking a week’s extension to complete its task as it finds it difficult to prepare its report before 21 July, when the Monsoon session starts. The chairman of Joint Committee of Parliament on the land bill S S Ahluwalia is learnt to have decided to write to seek the permission of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to move a motion to seek the extension to finish the task with members from Opposition closing ranks in favour of the demand. PTI