Ordinance on sexual harassment reflects sense of urgency: Salman Khurshid

New Delhi: Union Minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday justified the government's decision to issue an ordinance on sexual violence against women, saying views of the Justice Verma panel and the public in general were that something needed to be done with a "sense of urgency."

"All you can do is that when Parliament is not in session, we can promulgate an ordinance. It does not mean that widespread consultations cannot take place when the actual bill is brought in Parliament," the Minister said on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi.

He asked the women's organisations as well as all political parties to come together for widespread consultations with "all the sensitivity" on the issue. "This (the ordinance) is in response to the sense of urgency that has been felt. I think we should recognise that demand for urgency. A lot of young people also wanted it," Khurshid said adding there is still "room" for a detailed discussion till the bill is passed in Parliament.

Khurshid said the government would want BJP not to stay away from Parliament or prevent the House from functioning.

Reacting to a question on BJP's decision to boycott Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his Hindu terror remarks, Khurshid said the government would want BJP not to stay away from Parliament or prevent the House from functioning.

"Because their valuable contribution to governance of the country as the main opposition of the country is something that we don't want to be deprived of," he said. Khurshid said Shinde is very a serious and profound senior leader and one should respect senior leader's view. "You may disagree with them but it's not fair to reduce everything to a confrontation," he said adding the country has to collectively fight terrorism of any kind.

"Terrorism is terrorism. We have to fight it," he added.

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