New Delhi, April 13: Under attack from opposition parties over the Nuclear Liability Bill, Congress today said it would be “undemocratic” to oppose a legislation even before it is brought before Parliament and maintained it was ready to discuss the issue with an “open mind”.
The party also indicated it was not averse to the idea of referring the Bill to a Parliamentary Standing Committee if the House decides so after a debate.
“We are ready to listen to them with all seriousness and an open mind. But it will be undemocratic to stop a legislation from being brought before the House.
“If they have any objection over it, the best place to debate over the issue is Parliament. It is highly inappropriate and unreasonable to oppose the Bill even before it is brought before the House,” Party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.
Tewari said the draft Bill should be allowed to travel to its “natural course” and go to Parliament, adding, the Parliament can refer it to a Standing Committee if the House decides so.
“It is entirely in the domain of the government to decide whether to have a re-look at any legislation before it is passed by Parliament,” was his response when asked whether the party wants a re-look at the Bill.
He said that the basic issue is that the country’s energy requirement would go up by 2025 and nuclear energy could play a very important role in that.
–PTI