Law Minister Kapil Sibal speaks in Rajya Sabha
The Right and the Left united in Rajya Sabha today in their opposition to the Anti-Communal Violence Bill, forcing its deferment on the first day of the 12-day Parliament session.
The opposition parties, including the BJP, Left, AIADMK and Samajwadi Party, said the bill infringes on the rights of the states, thereby threatening India's federal structure.
"Parliament has no legislative competence to pass this bill. It also infringes upon state rights," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and BJP leader Arun Jaitley said.
Law Minister Kapil Sibal responded to the opposition's charges, saying the bill does not violate the federal nature of the country.
"No provision in the bill gives power to Centre... The bill will not violate federal structure," he said.
The Law Minister defended the bill, saying it was crucial in cases of state-sponsored communal violence "like in the case of Gujarat" in 2002, a statement that directly implicates BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi.
"State-sponsored communal activity is not a law and order issue, like what happened in Gujarat. The power to investigate remains with the state government," Mr Sibal said.