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Ally ditches, SP, BSP bail out govt on MCI bill
Trinamool Congress scaled new heights in unpredictability as six of its MPs voted against the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday —allegedly keeping party boss Mamata Banerjee in the dark.
Trinamool Congress scaled new heights in unpredictability as six of its MPs voted against the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday —allegedly keeping party boss Mamata Banerjee in the dark.
Trinamool has a minister of state in health ministry — that piloted the bill — but it chose to oppose the proposed legislation along with the BJP and Left parties.
The bill, however, was passed by 100-57 votes as SP and BSP came to the rescue of the government.
After talking Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “She told me that she never asked her MPs to vote against the bill. They might have done it on their own. I requested her to ensure support when the bill comes to the Rajya Sabha.”
Trinamool Congress chief whip Kalyan Banerjee, who earlier got a rap on his knuckles from Banerjee for not opposing the Lokpal Bill in Lok Sabha, skirted responsibility on this occasion: “Talk to Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The doctors in our party know the details of the issue,” he told HT.
Dastidar remained unavailable for comments.
According to sources, Kalyan and others took no chance as Banerjee had recently pegged the bill as an example of centre's attempt to infringe on the right of the states.
While MoS in health Sudip Bandopadhyay remained absent while his ministry's bill was passed, the Trinamool MPs present in the House decided to vote against it to prevent another Lokpal-like situation.
During the discussion on the bill, health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and BJP MP Maneka Gandhi had heated exchanges over alleged corruption in the Medical Council of India.
Gandhi alleged crore of rupees were being sought as bribes. Azad described how he is trying to bring transparency and how he doesn't even take gifts.
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