Rahul Gandhi's outburst on ordinance protecting convicted lawmakers embarrassing, NCP says

KOLKATA: Union heavy industries minister and NCP leader Praful Patel on Saturday said that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's outburst over the ordinance on convicted lawmakers was "embarrassing" and the situation could have been handled in a better way. NCP is a UPA partner and Congress ally.

"I think the way the events have come out, it is very unfortunate. It could have been handled in a better way. It's embarrassing," Patel told reporters on the sidelines of the AGM of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce held here.

"The decision has been taken by the Cabinet and only the Cabinet can reverse the decision," the minister said, adding, that it now depends on PM Manmohan Singh to take the call.

"The onus lies with the Congress (who) heads the coalition to clear the air of misunderstanding. The onus should not be put on other political parties," Patel said.

He said, earlier when the bill was discussed, where he was present, all political parties had "almost unanimously agreed" to place it before the Parliament.

The only difference of opinion was whether to bring the bill in either the monsoon or winter session or send it to the standing committee.

"Beyond that I did not see any difference among the political parties," Patel said.

TIMES CAMPAIGN: STOP THE ORDINANCE THAT SAVES CRIMINAL POLITICIANS

You can also join the campaign by giving a missed call (toll free) to 080 6773 0022

To show your support, retweet the tweet below or tweet your own message with hashtags: #StopOrdinance and #CriminalNetas