Rajya Sabha approval for Mining & Coal bills

The NDA government won over regional parties to get Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill and Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill passed by Rajya Sabha, hours before Parliament went into recess, but was nowhere near making any headway over the land acquisition bill which remains stuck in a political and procedural logjam.
Support from regional parties helped government easily overcome the resistance from Congress and Left.The success showed that BJP tacticians have, just like their Congress counterparts in the UPA decade, learnt the art of leveraging their status as the ruling party to find support from unexpected quarters.Those who helped government tot up the winning numbers included Trinamool, SP, BSP, NCP, AIADMK, BJD and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. DMK also voted for the government on the mines bill while BJP held on to its allies Shiv Sena, Akali Dal and TDP. Trinamool, which has been attacking the government, explained the change of stand by pointing to the gains that mineral-rich states like West Bengal hope to reap once the new mining and coal laws in place, and by pointing to concessions they secured from government during negotiations. However SP and BSP, both from UP, which does not boast of mines or minerals, also went along with the government, in what was a testimony to the new-found clout of the BJP. Nitish Kumar's JD U which broke away from BJP over Narendra Modi's projection as PM candidate, extended indirect but crucial support by not participating in the voting.
The mines and mineral bill was approved by 117 members with 69 opposing it.The coal bill was approved by a 107-62 margin.
It can help government reclaim the political initiative.The saffron regime would have looked ineffective if the two bills had got stuck in Parliament. The passage of two bills can help government make up for its inability to push the land acquisition bill in the Upper House and claim that it was pressing ahead with its reforms agenda. The session, the most productive in the last decade, had earlier seen the passage of the insurance reforms legislation.
It marked a setback to Congress which has been in the attack mode and has successfully rallied others in the opposition to resist the land acquisition bill. Party's embarrassment was compounded by the absence of more than a dozen of its members in Rajya Sabha during the twin trials of strength. Its disappointment showedthrough when Digvijaya Singh said that opposition parties supported the two bills because they were “compromised“.
But even as the government celebrated its victory and parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu claimed that the land bill will be presented in RS in the budget session's second phase, sources said the government appeared resigned to a long wait for the passage of the land legislation. Government sources said it will not succeed in breaking the ranks of regional parties over the land legislation . The failure to muster numbers will ensure the bill remains stuck in a procedural bind after its smooth passage in LS.