An upset Sonia Gandhi has decided to take Congress MPs absenting themselves from Parliament to task, after the UPA government came close to suffering a major embarrassment in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday when the Unorganised Sector Workers? Social Security Bill, 2007 almost got tripped by the Opposition.
As many as sixty eight party MPs were sent strongly worded notices late on Wednesday night by senior leader Pranab Mukherjee, asking them to explain why they were not present during the voting on the crucial bill.
Besides a three line whip, members had been SMSed and telephone calls made personally asking them to ensure presence in the Lok Sabha when voting took place for the social security bill.
Almost half the entire Congress flock including senior members of the cabinet like Meira Kumar, AR Antulay, Arjun Singh, Kamal Nath, Mani Shankar Aiyar and PR Kyndiah were missing on Wednesday when the voting on the bill took place.
?I am pained.? Gandhi reportedly told MPs at a CPP meeting this morning, not taking kindly to the episode. Her taking exception to the casual manner in which MPs had treated the voting on the bill was even more pronounced, as the social security legislation was among her pet projects that had been taken up by the National Advisory Council which she earlier headed. Although the representation from the allies of the Congress was equally absymal, Congress circles maintained that they could only issue warnings to their own flock.
Trouble erupted when the CPIM moved amendments to the bill that were promptly supported by the BJP. As voting got initiated, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Singh, much to their embarassment, found that most of the treasury benches were bare. The tally ultimately stood at 90 in favour of the amendment and 107 against it and government scraping through by barely 17 votes.
Panic signals were immediately sent out as there was a second amendment that the CPIM wanted to move. Parliamentary affairs minister Vayalar Ravi and chief whip Madhusudan Mistry worked the phones desperately calling in MPs. Among the senior cabinet members, Kamal Nath was recuperating from a gall bladder operation. Mani Shankar Aiyar, however, left his daughter?s wedding reception midway to make it for the second voting.
Sensing the unease in the government, the BJP too tried to rustle up the numbers, more to embarrass the government than to cause it any permanent damage. The tally during the second vote was 106 in favour of the amendment and 134 against it.