Pranab in talks with Trinamool: Narayanasamy

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was in talks with Congress ally Trinamool Congress, his colleague V Narayanasamy said on Thursday as the ruling party tried hard to muster votes to secure the passage of the Lokpal bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was in talks with Congress ally Trinamool Congress, his colleague V Narayanasamy said on Thursday as the ruling party tried hard to muster votes to secure the passage of the Lokpal bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"Pranab dada has talked to them (Trinamool) and is still in talks with them and I think they will come around," minister of state for personnel Narayanasamy told Times Now ahead of the debate on the Lokpal bill in the upper House of Parliament.

"Our finance minister has explained in detail that the Lokpal and the Lokayukta bill clearly states that if the state government does not give the consent for extending the act to the state it will not be possible to implement it," he added.

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The Trinamool Congress, which has six members in the Rajya Sabha, has sought deletion of a provision on setting up of state Lokayuktas, stating that it was as good as tampering with the federal structure and the party would seek scrapping of this clause.

Narayanasamy said the Congress does not have the adequate numbers and will have to depend on allies and supporting parties to pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"We are trying our best to pass the bill. This bill is the commitment of the members of both the houses and all the members have got the responsibility to pass it," he said.