Cabinet withdraws ordinance on convicted lawmakers

New Delhi: The government has decided to withdraw a controversial ordinance that protects convicted parliamentarians and triggered a furious critique from Rahul Gandhi last week, who described the policy as "nonsense." The Congress has said Mr Gandhi's criticism took into account "the widest possible feedback" on the ordinance.

The reversal of policy was cleared at a short cabinet meeting this evening, chaired by the Prime Minister. The government will also withdraw a bill it had moved on convicted lawmakers in parliament, Union minister Manish Tewari said, repeatedly stressing that today's decision was "unanimous." (Track LIVE updates)

Sources said allies like Sharad Pawar made the point at the meeting that the dramatic u-turn is embarrassing for the government because it showed that the decision to introduce the ordinance was "made in a hurry" and without "applying our minds."

The fate of the ordinance seemed pre-ordained once Mr Gandhi shared his scathing review last week. Mr Gandhi, who is the vice-president of the ruling Congress, met the PM this morning and reportedly expressed his regret for the timing and language of his public censure, but reiterated his staunch opposition to the order, which is seen as the catalyst for the government's change of heart.

He  reportedly also told Dr Singh that he meant no disrespect to either him or the cabinet with his remarks at a time when Dr Manmohan Singh was in the US for a trip that included meetings with President Obama and Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif. (Watch what he said)

After the 25-minute meeting with Mr Gandhi, the Prime Minister visited President Pranab Mukherjee and reportedly informed him of his decision to rescind the ordinance.  The President had expressed serious reservations about the ordinance when it was sent to him for his assent last week.

The ordinance provoked criticism from opposition parties and the public as an attempt to override a Supreme Court decision that disqualifies MPs and state legislators from office if they are convicted in criminal cases.

The Congress has tried to justify the reversal of policy,  with spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury saying, "It's collective wisdom. We got feedback from across the country."