Procedural wrangles in House

The Hindu, May 01, 2015

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not accede to the Opposition?s demand on Thursday that the Finance Bill be withdrawn and a fresh one brought next week.

The Opposition had forced the government to withdraw non-taxation proposals in Finance Bill, inserted in it to escape the Rajya Sabha?s scrutiny of them.

Walking a tightrope, Ms. Mahajan acknowledged that in the past, ?though rare?, Finance Bills had had non-taxation proposals such as those relating to amendments to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. (Interestingly, that too was during a BJP-led NDA government.)

As she allowed a debate on the Bill, she gave members an hour to give their amendments to the government?s amendments.
Earlier, the House witnessed procedural wrangles as Opposition

MPs alleged that the government?s proposals ? the setting up of a public debt management agency that would curtail the powers of the Reserve Bank of India and a senior citizens? welfare fund ? needed separate Bills.

The RSP?s NK Premachandran, the Trinamool Congress?s Saugata Roy and the Biju Janata Dal?s Tahthagata Satpathy led the charge against the government.

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