Another House panel defers education reforms report adoption

Move Seen As Part Of Govt’s Outreach To Oppn For Delimit Bill Support

NEW DELHI: A day after a parliamentary committee abruptly deferred the adoption of its report on a contentious anti-graft bill, another parliamentary panel, which is examining govt’s proposed law to replace multiple higher education regulators with one umbrella body, has called off a meeting scheduled for Monday to approve its report.Sources said the joint committee of Parliament headed by BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari which is scrutinising Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill has deferred its meeting but the next date is yet to be fixed.The development is being linked to govt’s keenness to avoid confrontational issues when it is wooing opposition parties like DMK and NCP SP to back its politically more expansive move to raise the strength of Lok Sabha and assemblies, coupled with delimitation of constituencies. Both bills have drawn widespread protest from non-NDA parties.As was the case with the panel headed by BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi which is examining a constitution amendment bill that calls for the automatic removal of the PM, CMs and ministers if they are under arrest for 30 continuous days on serious charges, members of the committee scrutinising the bill covering the higher education regulation were also given the draft report days in advance before their likely final meetings.Sarangi’s decision was under more dramatic circumstances as the members had already adopted two of their five recommendations by a majority vote before the meeting was deferred midway.Neither bill may be tabled in this house session now.Jairam Ramesh of Congress was quick to take aim at govt over the development.“Just two days before the monsoon session of Parliament begins, two JPCs on very controversial bills – one of which requires constitutional amendments and the other of which is a clear case of constitutional over-reach – have put off adopting their reports. The humiliation suffered by Modi govt in Lok Sabha on April 17 clearly has cast a long shadow that persists in spite of the Union home minister’s bluff, brag and bluster,” he said.Ramesh was referring the defeat of the bill to raise the strength of Lok Sabha and assemblies. Govt is expected to revive the bill again in this session amid defections in opposition’s ranks.