JOIN US It may get tough for the UPA government to get the Lokpal Bill passed if the political parties continue to remain divided in Parliament over various provisions of the contentious draft legislation.
As it is, the government is walking on thin ice with the opposition BJP strongly opposing the proposal to bring in quota for minorities in Lokpal, making the total reservation not less than 50 per cent.
This has ranged the rightist party against almost all others, including its NDA partner Janata Dal-United.
However, this has not discouraged the BJP, which threatened of a ‘civil war’ if the provision was not withdrawn. Ahead of the Assembly polls in the states, especially in the largest state of Uttar Pradesh, the quota for minorities has assumed importance for the Congress, SP and BSP, electorally. For the BJP, it is the opposite, which becomes critical.
The government has a thin majority (277 out of 543) in the Lok Sabha. It is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha. Not just this, the fact that it has moved a Constitution (116th amendment) Bill for Lokpal has made matters worst for the Manmohan Singh-led government at the Centre.
For the Constitution amendment, a government needs to pass the Bill with a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. If the strength of the House is full on the day of voting, then the government needs a total of 362 to pass the Bill.
Support critical
Thus, the support of the main opposition BJP-which has 158 members in the House- becomes critical for the ruling Congress-led coalition.
In Rajya Sabha, the scenario is even worse for the ruling alliance. Out of the total 275, the UPA has a strength of less than 90, making its task of passing the Bill hugely difficult, since it requires support of at least 184 members in the House to pass the Bill.
The BJP is strongly opposed to the bill on two grounds — religion based reservation and making the central law on Lokayuktas mandatory for the states. But, the Congress leaders hope there might be give and take so that the Bill would be passed.
Minority issue
However, the question of minority quota is so much against the BJP ideology that it is unlikely that the party would accept the Bill in its present form.
The debate will get underway in earnest next Tuesday, but before that the government will have plenty of spadework to do to prepare the ground even for the Lokpal.