New Delhi:
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has asked for a list MPs from her party who were absent during last night's vote on the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The bill was defeated - it managed neither the two-thirds majority of all MPs present and voting, nor the simple majority of 273 MPs. A bill that wants to change the Constitution has to deliver both these sets of numbers. As many as 12 MPs from the Congress were missing despite a whip that made attendance mandatory. Sources say six of the absentees have provided legitimate reasons. V Narayanasamy, a senior minister, said the party will take action against those whose excuses are deemed unacceptable.
Three bills were put to vote in the Lok Sabha last night. The one seeking constitutional status for the Lokpal was important for the Congress' prestige - this proposal was first made by party leader Rahul Gandhi in Parliament in August, an idea he described then as "a game-changer." The Whistleblowers' Bill and the Lokpal Bill were passed. But the vote on the Lokpal Bill exposed the deficiencies in both the government's strategy and its numbers. The bill that creates a new national ombudsman to check corruption went through after a wide range of parties including those headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati and Lalu Prasad Yadav walked out before the vote. That favour to the government meant that the number of MPs present and voting was reduced, and the government was able to pass a bill which had been heavily criticized for hours during a caustic debate. Without the walk-out, the government did not have a simple majority.
Mr Narayanasamy, who is Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, said the Congress will issue a showcause notice to the MPs who skipped the vote. He said "repeated reminders, phone calls, and SMS-es" had been made to all Lok Sabha members to underscore the importance of being in the House. Sonia Gandhi was present, so was the Prime Minister. Rahul Gandhi was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh for the first half of the day, but returned to Delhi to participate in the vote.
Six Congress absentees are reportedly from Gujarat, including Union Minister Dinsha Patel who was at home for his grand-daughter's wedding. The minister said he had excused himself in advance.
Sources say the other MPs who were missing were K Sudhakaran (Kerala), Hamdullah Sayeed (Lakshadweep), K Raj Gopal Reddy (Andhra Pradesh) and M Rajamohan Reddy. The last is a supporter of YSR Congress leader Jagan Moha Reddy, and has already submitted his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.