NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Food Security Bill , barely eight months ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election amid a fierce competition between Congress and the opposition to daub themselves in populist colours.Termed a "game-changer" by UPA-2, the Food Security Bill went through a protracted passage in Lok Sabha as opposition parties ranging from BJP, AIADMK, CPI and BJD to Akali Dal insisted on a vote on amendments such as further reducing the rack rates for cheap foodgrain and making the law's coverage universal.All concern about a burgeoning current account deficit and falling growth was in abeyance as the government and opposition wrestled to walk away with maximum brownie points after the vote on the bill was concluded.The government too said it stopped short of considering universal coverage as it was hemmed in by constraints of production and procurement but justified a long delay in the legislation by arguing that the law has been vastly improved.Congress chief Sonia Gandhi defied the discomfort of a nagging viral fever to set the tone for the ruling party, saying the question whether resources could be mustered for the bill was best answered by stressing, "Ye karna hi hai." She admitted that the bill would provide succour to those who have not benefitted from growth and are battling the curse of hunger and malnutrition.Her speech is the first time she has intervened in a debate in the current Lok Sabha apart from a speech during the special session of Parliament held to commemorate its 60 years. She spoke once earlier when proposing Meira Kumar for Speaker.Sonia made it plain that the food bill – seen to have her strong backing – is Congress's latest rights-based entitlement and a cornerstone of the ruling party's political agenda for the next Lok Sabha election.There was considerable skirmishing over the amendments moved by the opposition with the ruling party benches on one occasion voting against a clause in the bill, mistaking it to be a change proposed by leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj.The matter was settled with Swaraj agreeing to a re-vote, a rare occurrence in the House. The bill will now be considered by Rajya Sabha where the government needs to be more careful of its numbers although BJP has indicated that it is not keen to stall the law.The concern for the government in Rajya Sabha is that an opposition amendment may end up being part of the bill rather than a clause being struck down.The amendments moved by the opposition in Lok Sabha touched minute aspects of the law like inclusion or exclusion of taxpayers as beneficiaries. The government had to go through a testing time before the bill cleared the Lok Sabha after 10pm.BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi led the opposition arguments, saying the bill is not a significant improvement over existing benefits and has been brought to Parliament with the objective of "luring voters" ahead of the next election. "This is not a Food Security Bill, this is vote securing bill," he said.Looking to dent Congress's claim of having brought an umbrella law to provide food security, Joshi said the Chhattisgarh government was doing better, providing cheap foodgrains to 90% of the population.But no party outright rejected the populist bill that will take the food subsidy to Rs 1.24 lakh crore from the current Rs 75,000 crore although the financial implications kick in only next year.The Left parties sought universal coverage in their amendments and while these did not pass muster, government managers were quick to point out that the bill's populist aspects were "protected" despite some being pruned by a parliamentary standing committee.The bill's provisions like retention of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana component – despite the scheme's coverage of a family unit instead of an individual going against the standard for other beneficiaries – is an example where Sonia's hand can be seen.In fact, the inclusion of nearly all state and central schemes in the food security act, despite its heavy fiscal implications at a time when growth has dropped to below 5% underlines Sonia's determination to pass a welfare measure that adds to her image as a caring provider.