The Hindu Business Line : Divestment issue rocks Parliament

THE issue of disinvestment of Government equity in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) rocked Parliament today, forcing the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Manohar Joshi, to prematurely adjourn the House for the day.

The main Opposition party, the Congress (I), charged the Government with going ahead with the disinvestment of the two state-owned oil majors in a `clandestine manner', bypassing Parliament. The party spokesperson, Mr Jaipal Reddy, claimed that the Attorney General, Mr Soli Sorabjee's position that the Government did not require Parliament's consent for privatising HPCL and BPCL, despite these companies being set up through separate Acts of Parliament, had been challenged by several reputed legal luminaries.

The Opposition demanded that the issue be first discussed in the Lok Sabha under Rule 184, which entails voting by members.

The Government, on the other hand, said that it was willing to debate the issue before taking any final decision. But the discussion, it insisted, should take place under Rule 193, which will not involve any voting.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, said that the Government was willing to even advance the date for the debate, presently scheduled on May 8.

The Opposition, however, maintained that the discussion should take place under Rule 184.

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