By IANS,
New Delhi : The sense-of-the-house message that Saturday appeased Anna Hazare’s supporters enough to say that the social activist will break his fast at 10 a.m. Sunday is not very common in India’s parliamentary usage and, therefore, has left many wondering what it is all about.
“Sense-of-the-house is not there in Parliamentary rules,” says former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C. Kashyap. “A discussion is guided by the rule under which it takes place. If a discussion takes place under rule 193, a minister initiates it and gives his reply at the end. Since there is no motion, there is no question of voting.”
Yet Team Anna is happy. “It is a very positive development,” said an India Against Corruption activist. “We wanted a voice vote but we are very satisfied. This is something like that.”
The feeling is perhaps driven by the message that the rare show of unanimity seen in both houses of Parliament Saturday sent out.