Govt to bring Land Bill, other Ordinances in Lok Sabha to ensure passage

The government has decided to bring all Bills to convert recently promulgated Ordinances into Acts first in the Lok Sabha, where it has absolute majority, after failing to get the crucial Insurance Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha.

In case a need arises, if the ordinances are not able to pass through in the Budget Session of the Parliamnet, a joint session is not ruled out, according to sources.

The government has six weeks time from the day the Parliament meets next to get approval for the recently promulgated Ordinances, including that for easing of land acquisition norms and insurance law hiking foreign investment limit.

President Pranab Mukherjee has also promulgated Ordinances relating to coal mine auction, e-rickshaw, modification of arbitration laws and regularisation of colonies in the national capital, which are required to be approved by Parliament.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) does not have majority in Rajya Sabha, it is virtually at the mercy of the opposition to get the crucial economic legislations through.

To overcome this lacuna, the government has now decided to get all these Ordinances first in the Lower House that saw very minimal adjournments during the just concluded Winter Session of Parliament, sources said.

With absolute majority and no adjournments, it can easily get these Bills passed in the Lok Sabha.

The government will then bring the Bills in Rajya Sabha and assuming any of the laws either defeated or an approval is delayed for six months due to opposition, the option of calling a Joint Session of Parliament comes into play.

In the joint sitting of the Lower House and Upper House, NDA has the numbers to get any of these legislations through.

The opposition had successfully stalled passage of the Insurance Bill during the last two Parliamentary sessions, and the NDA could not look at the option of joint session of Parliament as the Bill was brought in the Rajya Sabha first.

According to the rules, a Joint Sitting can be called for passage of any law if any Bill has been approved by one House but either defeated or held back for six months by the other.

In case of Insurance Bill, the government now has the option of either getting the Bill defeated in Rajya Sabha and bringing a fresh Bill in Lok Sabha. Alternatively, it can seek the permission of the House to withdraw the Bill and bring it afresh in the Lower House of Parliament.