Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Dec 19: Muzrai minister, Dr V S Acharya, is confident of getting Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Second Ammendment) Bill, 2011, passed in the assembly next month. It may be recalled that the bill, which Acharya had refused to be deferred to the next session, had been defeated by a single vote in a shocking development, after opposition leader, Siddaramaiah, pressed for division of votes on December 15.

The BJP was outwitted by the opposition on this occasion. No bill moved by the ruling party had been defeated by the opposition in the recent years in the history of Karnataka. The government, one felt, had taken a casual approach, not expecting that the opposition would press for division of votes, and encash opportunity provided by the absence of some ruling party legislators. The bill had earlier been approved by the legislative council.

Dr Acharya said that the bill will be moved in the assembly again after a month. “Normally, the opposition parties never oppose bills that are related to social issues. We never thought that the opposition would wait for an opportunity and defeat the bill. The ammendment, made in March this year, had aimed at giving clarity to the stand of the government on certain issues, as per the court order. I had requested the opposition to pave way for the passage of the bill, as it would have facilitated smooth governance of temples. We did not notice that a few Congress legislators came in at the moment the bill was to put to vote. A few of our MLAs were in the legislative council at the time,” he said.

Acharya said that the bill, to be moved on the second day of the January session of the assembly in its original form, will be passed in without any problem.