New Delhi, April 29
After five days of disruptions, the government breathed easy today after the BJP agreed at an all-party meeting to allow critical financial business to be transacted without disruption in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. The principal Opposition party will, however, make a political point by walking out of the proceedings, including voting on the Finance Bill. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj made the BJP stand known at the meeting convened by LS Speaker Meira Kumar today.

She said the BJP was responsible enough to understand that the Finance Bill needed to be passed to avert a constitutional crisis but added that her party MPs would walk out to express their disapproval of the government’s conduct on issues of JPC report on 2G scam and the CBI affidavit in the coal scam issue.

The BJP has been demanding the resignation of the PM and the Law Minister in the coal scam issue. On JPC front, 15 Opposition MPs have expressed no confidence in the committee chairman PC Chacko. Other Opposition parties also agreed today to allow the financial business to be transacted. The business will be taken up as follows — Railway Budget, Demands for

Grants of the Ministries of Coal, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Textiles; application of Guillotine to the Demands for Grants of other ministries at 1.30 pm and finally the LS must pass by 6 pm tomorrow the Finance Bill to meet the Constitutional obligation which says the Bill has to be referred to Rajya Sabha and will be deemed to have been passed if the RS doesn’t return it after 14 days have lapsed.

These 14 days end on May 13 --- also the lapse of another deadline under the The Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1931 which allows the government to levy taxes announced in the Budget from the day of announcement but obliges it to pass within 75 days the Bill under which it is collecting the tax. If it fails, the taxes collected must be refunded.

“The deadline under this law ends on May 13. We had to coincide it with the end of 14-day period after which a Money Bill is deemed to have been passed by the Rajya Sabha. The 14-day period was essential, In case the RS is unable to take up the Bill for discussion, the Bill will be deemed to be passed only after 14 days have lapsed,” LS Secretariat sources said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, meanwhile, dismissed apprehensions that the Parliament might be adjourned sine die (before its mandated period May 10).