New Delhi: In a coincidence of sorts, the Union Cabinet on Gandhi Jayanthi decided to withdraw the controversial Ordinance that was aimed to shield convicted lawmakers. The Bill that is before the St
New Delhi: In a coincidence of sorts, the Union Cabinet on Gandhi Jayanthi decided to withdraw the controversial Ordinance that was aimed to shield convicted lawmakers. The Bill that is before the Standing Committee in the Rajya Sabha will also be withdrawn after legal formalities. The motion to withdraw the bill will be moved durng the Winter Session, sources said. Though the Cabinet approved the Ordinance twice (once as a bill), it was Rahul Gandhi’s viewpoint that ultimately won. In a way, the Cabinet 'tore and threw away' the Ordinance and the Bill – metaphorically speaking and in the words of Rahul Gandhi. Inching towards withdrawal of the Ordinance, Congress top brass including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi had earlier grappled to work out a face saver in the wake of a huge political storm over Rahul Gandhi's public outburst against the measure. All pros and cons were discussed and a decision was left to the Union Cabinet which is meeting in the evening, highly placed party sources said after the hour-long Congress Core Group meeting headed by Sonia Gandhi. Soon after the Core Group meeting, which was also attended by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Gandhi's political aide Ahmed Patel, the Prime Minister met President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The meeting was unusually long. Mukherjee is said to have reservations over the Ordinance to provide immunity to MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification overriding a Supreme Court judgement on the issue. The day of hectic activities in the Congress beganwith Rahul Gandhi calling on the Prime Minister in the morning and holding one to one interaction during which the Congress Vice President explained to Singh the context in which he denounced the Ordinance. Though Singh said he does not get -"upset easily-", he had indicated his unease yesterday when he told reporters that he would try to find out the reason why Rahul made a public statement and -"why it had to be done that way-".
