Gujarat assembly’s three-day session ends

A three-day session of Gujarat assembly winter session today ended.

Voting compulsory in all local self-government bodies

A bill to make voting compulsory in all local self-government bodies in Gujarat was passed by the state assembly Saturday – the first such move in the country – amid opposition by the Congress members.

Chief minister Narendra Modi and most of his ministers were absent when the Bill was being voted in the House.

Piloting the bill, Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel termed it a pioneering move aimed at making democracy more representative and meaningful. Congress legislature party leader Shaktisinh Gohil, however, opposed the bill, terming it “impractical” and “designed with political motives”.

The Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 amends the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act 1949, the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963 and the Gujarat Panchayats Act 1993, to make voting compulsory in all seven municipal corporations, 159 municipalities, 26 district panchayats, 223 taluka panchayats and in 13,713 village panchayats of the state.

All registered voters in Gujarat will be required to vote and those absent will be summoned by the local election officer and asked to submit a valid reason with proof within a month.

The bill empowers the election officer designated by the state election commission to declare people who do not cast their vote as defaulter voters. They shall subsequently be notified and will have an opportunity to present their reason within a month.

Exemption will be granted on account of illness, absence from the country or state on polling day and for any other reason prescribed by the state. Subsequently, the government will decide on the action to be taken against the defaulters.

Moonshine trade will invite death

After a marathon debate that stretched from afternoon into the night, the Gujarat assembly again passed a bill proscribing the maximum of death penalty for those trading in spurious liquor.

The Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment) Act, 2009, was first passed in July after a liquor tragedy left 136 people dead. Governor S.C. Jamir had then returned the bill with his objections.

Minister of State for Home Amit Shah presented the bill again on the second day of the assembly session Friday, insisting that the provision of death sentence must stay to instil fear in the minds of those whose moonshine kill.

The bill was passed at the end of a lengthy debate amid opposition from the Congress.

Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil pointed out that death sentence can be given only under article 302 of the Indian Penal Code and not article 304, under which life sentence is possible.

Congress walkout on Rangnath Mishra report

Opposition Congress today staged a walkout from the state Assembly on the issue of discussion on Rangnath Mishra Commission’s recommendations.

The commission favours reservation to minorities and giving SC status to the converted Dalits.

Gujarat minister for social justice and empowerment Fakirbhai Patel introduced a resolution in the Assembly, asking the Central government to not implement the recommendations which will create social divisions in the country.

However, leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil demanded that since the matter is sub judice and the report has just been placed before Parliament, it could not be discussed in the state Assembly.

But the speaker, Ashok Bhatt, allowed discussion on the issue, which promoted the Opposition to walkout on the last day of the three-day brief Assembly session.