The dates for debate on the Liberhan Commission report in the Lok Sabha were rescheduled once again on Thursday with all the political parties agreeing that it can be held on December 7 and 8, after the Ministry of Home Affairs provided 75 Hindi copies of the document.
Sources said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal was approached by the Rajya Sabha members who did not want the debate in the Upper House to be shifted to the third week of December. The Lower House would get preference as per convention and since the earlier date for the debate in the Lok Sabha was to be held on December 9 and 10, the Upper House could hold it only on December 14, sources said.
Once the Home Ministry made available 75 Hindi copies of the Liberhan Commission report to each House of Parliament on Thursday, Bansal approached deputy leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj to prepone the date to December 7 and 8.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told Bansal that since his party got the Hindi version, it had no problem in participating in the debate on Monday and Tuesday. Since the debate will be held on two days in both Houses, the BJP will get 104 minutes to debate on it and has fielded Ananth Kumar along with party president Rajnath Singh and Swaraj in the Lok Sabha. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu and Ravi Shankar Prasad will represent BJP in the Rajya Sabha in the debate.
