Motor Vehicles Bill hits Oppn wall

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill has hit the Opposition roadblock midway through its debate in Rajya Sabha with around a dozen parties vociferously insisting changes and claiming that it goes against the spirit of federalism and encroaches upon the rights of states.

The opponents include the Congress, Trinamool Congress, AIADMK, DMK, AAP, CPI(M), CPI, Samajwadi Party, NCP, YSR Congress and BJD among others.

Trinamool-led West Bengal and AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu governments have already voiced their opposition.

The discussion on the Bill had started on Monday but it was not taken up the next day as Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari failed to convince leaders of Opposition parties, at a meeting, about the Bill's 'contentious' contents.

Sources said Gadkari will meet the leaders again to thrash out a compromise on a variety of issues raised by the Opposition.

The continuation of the debate is unlikely this week if the issues are not thrashed out, Opposition leaders told DH.

"However, if the government is going ahead with the discussion on Wednesday or this week, they should be ready for the eventuality of the Bill getting defeated.

"If it comes to that, we will defeat the Bill. What we want is some 7-8 amendments in the Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha. We think the Bill will now come up next week only," a senior Opposition leader said.

The concerns of the Opposition parties include changing the registration of new vehicles from RTO offices to dealers, changes in learners' licence, tax collection and monitoring agency.

Sources said Gadkari sought to convince leaders that the move to change the registration to dealers' office was to prevent corruption by RTOs but the leaders were not convinced.

The leaders told Gadkari that the structure of the Bill is against federalism and it takes away a number of powers from the states.

The government is not ready to accept the amendments at present, Opposition leaders said.

The Bill, which has already been passed in the Lok Sabha, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha in April last year and subsequently referred to a Select Committee.

However, the Opposition claimed that its members' concerns were not incorporated in the report submitted to the Upper House and the Bill was reintroduced in the Rajya Sabha.