New Delhi, August 1
Political parties on Thursday closed ranks to criticise the recent Supreme Court judgments on debarring legislators in jail from contesting elections and disallowing reservation for faculty in the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The issue of debarring elected representatives from re-contesting elections when in jail or in police custody was flagged by Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav, with other leaders speaking in a similar vein and suggesting that Parliament take a collective view and rectify it.

On disallowing reservation for faculty in All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Yadav said, “How can you expect a smooth session when the Supreme Court has come out with a judgment that has affected 80 per cent people belonging to SC, ST and OBC category?” He asked the government to address the issue straightaway in the monsoon session starting August 5.

Participating in an all-party meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, several other issues including the announcement of a separate state of Telangana, state of the economy, the Food Bill Ordinance, Bihar mid-day meal tragedy and the Bodh Gaya blasts were also flagged.

On his part, Nath said leaders expressed concern over the "erosion of supremacy" of Parliament by apex court judgments. He, however, did not indicate the steps the government could take. He said members suggested early introduction and passage of the Bill to set up the National Judicial Commission Bill.

Sources privy to discussions told The Tribune that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj objected to the ordinance route adopted by the government on food security, a measure that had wide support in Parliament. She also wanted to know the fate of the proposed legislation on land acquisition.

With the government stating it has nearly 64 Bill -- 44 to be taken up for consideration, 14 to be introduced and six to be withdrawn -- the leaders sought efficacious time management. Parliament has just 16 sittings with just 12 of them being legislative days. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister promised to draw up a priority list.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley struck a note of caution over the “ambitious” agenda for the session, terming that it would be a “near miracle” to get the business drawn up by the government in such a short session.

The Food Security Bill on which an ordinance is already in place is among the proposed legislations. The BJP demanded that a Bill to create Telangana be introduced and passed in the current session.

However, leaders of the Trinamool Congress and the Asom Gana Parishad objected to the decision on Telangana, stating that the move was creating problems. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is also the leader of the Lok Sabha, said Telangana was a long-pending demand.