No consensus on IRDA, women's Bills
Differences at govt-Oppn dinner meeting

NEW DELHI, Nov 28 (PTI) — The government and Opposition failed to reach a consensus tonight on the controversial Insurance Bill with Left parties expressing reservations on it and the Congress remaining non-committal while, several parties opposed the introduction of women’s reservation Bill.

The dinner meeting convened by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the eve of the Parliament session saw differences persisting between the two sides on the contentious Bills as Left parties suggested that the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) Bill be referred to the standing committee, a stand rejected by the government.

Some opposition parties were against introducing the women’s Bill in its present form insisting that the government should not bring the legislative measure till a consensus was reached.

Parties like the Samajwadi Party, BSP and RJD have been demanding a sub-quota for women belonging to Backward Classes and minorities in the reservation Bill.

The Congress, represented at the meeting by leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh — took the view that it could arrive at a decision on the IRDA Bill only after studying it.

The issue of inclusion of Rajiv Gandhi’s name in the Bofors charge sheet did not come up at the meeting.

On the demand for referring the TRIPS Bills to the standing committee, Mahajan said government was not opposed to it but the committees had not yet been formed.

He said the hour-long meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and government had agreed to Opposition demands for discussions on several important issues, including Prasar Bharati, CTBT, Orissa cyclone, situation in Jammu and Kashmir, nuclear doctrine, Jaswant-Talbott talks, Commonwealth conference and postponement of SAARC conference.

From the government side, the dinner was attended by Home Minister L.K. Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, besides Mahajan. Sixteen leaders from opposition parties, including Indrajit Gupta (CPI), E Balanandan (CPM), Mayawati (BSP) and P H Pandiyan (AIADMK) were present.

Opposition to Bill mounts
5 parties back insurance staff
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 28 — Several Opposition parties and employees of insurance firms today decided to offer stiff resistance to the government’s move to have the Bill on insurance regulatory development authority (IRDA) passed in the Winter session of Parliament, beginning tomorrow.

Seven political parties including the CPM, the CPI, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the AIADMK issued a joint statement supporting the insurance and bank employees unions’ march to Parliament tomorrow against the IRDA Bill.

Trade union leaders representing employees of insurance companies, public sector banks and domestic financial institutions also decided to observe a day’s strike, a day after the IRDA Bill is taken up for discussion in Parliament.

To begin with the unions representing around 15 lakh employees would march to Parliament tomorrow to oppose the proposed opening up of the insurance sector to private companies.

Supporting the march of the unions, a statement signed by Mr Harkishen Surjeet (CPM), Mr A.B.Bardhan (CPI), Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Ms J.Jayalalitha (AIADMK), Mr Amar Roy Pradhan (Forward Block) and Abani Roy (Revolutionary Socialist Party) said "we on behalf of our parties, extend our full support to the decision of the United Financial Sector Trade Unions Committee and the sponsoring committee of the trade unions to take out a march to Parliament, to oppose the retrogade measures of the Government of India, on November 29, the day when Parliament meets for the winter session".

The signatories to the statement said the move of the government to get the IRDA Bill, opening up insurance to the private sector, both domestic and foreign, passed in the winter session of Parliament needs to be viewed with grave concern.

Moreover, the decision of the government to privatise nationalised banks, including the State Bank of India, by bringing down government’s stake to 26 per cent would erode the self-reliance of India’s economy and also endanger India’s sovereignty, the statement said.

They said the government’s decision would put at stake the jobs of thousands of employees of the financial sector.

Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, Rajya Sabha member of the CPI, said the IRDA Bill figures as the third item on the Parliament’s business agenda and the Bill was slated to be taken up for discussion either tomorrow or a day after.

Mr Dasgupta said the national sponsoring committee of Central Trade Unions had come out in support of the cause of insurance and bank employees and they would join the march to Parliament.

"This expression of solidarity undermines the understanding amongst the Indian working class of the offensive emanating from the Central Government at the behest of multinational companies", he added.

He apprehended that LIC and GIC would be ultimately weakened with the foreign insurance companies cornering profitable urban business, leaving all social obligations to the public sector.

The General Secretary of the All India LIC Employees Federation, Mr N.S. Sundaram, said they would approach leaders of all political parties, including leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to elicit support in favour of their "struggle".

"Mr Ramanand, General Secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association, warned that the employees would not take things lying down as the economic sovereignty of the country and the social welfare of the common man was at stake.

Bill on new states faces rough weather
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 28 — The government’s proposal to pass a legislation for formation of separate states of Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhatisgarh has run into rough weather with the Telegu Desam Party, (TDP), an ally of the BJP-led NDA, and the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) opposing the move.

Bickering on the proposed legislation was, however, unlikely to figure in the winter session of Parliament with Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan indicating today that the Bills could be delayed due to procedural reasons.

He told newspersons after a meeting of the NDA here today that the Bills on the formation of the new states would have to be approved by the Union Cabinet and then referred to the President.

Once the presidential approval was secured, the Bills would have to be endorsed by the legislature of the concerned states from which these smaller states were to be carved out, he said.

Mr Mahajan said even though the Bills had been approved during the tenure of the last Lok Sabha, the entire exercise would have to be gone through afresh because of the new House.

The procedural delay would, however, come as a blessing in disguise for the government as the TDP has said that it would oppose the Bills. The delay would help the government convince its ally on the proposed move, BJP sources said.

A meeting of the TDP MPs at Hyderabad yesterday, while deciding to oppose the proposed legislation, said it would press for constitutional amendment to ensure higher share for states in the central pool of taxes.

The meeting, chaired by party supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu decided to bring pressure on the Centre to devolve more financial power to the states and transfer more subjects from the concurrent list to the state list.

Apart from the TDP, the RJD in Bihar also said that it would oppose the government’s move to carve out a separate Vananchal state.

Party chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav was quoted as saying in Rajgir that his party would launch an agitation to protest against the proposed move.

"People of the state will never tolerate the BJP for its undemocratic and sinister designs to make Vananchal a colony of the RSS", he said while announcing a series of agitational programmes to forestall the tabling of the Bill for Vananchal in Parliament.