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New Delhi, Dec 21: The fate of the controversial patent bill continued to hang in balance on the eve of its discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday with the Congress failing to take any decision on it at a meeting of its party legislature committee here this evening.
A party spokesman announced that the party would again meet here tomorrow morning in an attempt to thrash out the matter. The Congress party meeting was vertically divided on the issue with one camp led by the former finance minister Manmohan Singh saying that the bill should be passed. The other camp, led by Vayalar Ravi, however, opposed the bill saying this would jeopardise the country's interest.
Manmohan Singh received the support of his colleauge Pranab Mukherjee in his stand. Noted laywer and party member Kapil Sibbal also spoke in favour of the bill.
Vayalar Ravi, on the other hand, was supported by Kamal Nath and Prithvi Raj Chavan. The BJP members of the Rajya Sabha, however, expressed themselves in favour of passing the bill.According to the parliamentary affairs minister Madan Lal Khurana, leader of Rajya Sabha and industry minister Sikander Bakht called a meeting of the BJP Rajya Sabha members on Monday and impressed upon them the need to pass the bill urgently.
Khurana said the BJP members were "unamimous" that the bill should be passed. The bill which seeks to provide for exclusive marketing rights to agro-chemical and pharmaceutical companies for their products had, significantly, raised a storm in the political camps cutting across party lines.
Even the BJP was verticially divided on the issue with the pro-RSS section and swadeshi followers vehemently opposing the measure saying this would compromise their position.
It is learnt that prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had earlier met Rajya Sabha MPs and requested them not to create problem for the government on the issue. He had reportedly told the party MPs that it would send wrong impression if the ruling party members themselves opposed the measure.
It may benoted that the left parties have vehemently opposed the patent bill saying it would be a total sellout to multi-nationals if the bill was passed.
The left parties are bound to oppose the bill in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Much will, therefore, depend upon the Congress which is still undecided.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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