BJP, Congress set for pitched Monsoon duel

The indications of the same came early as the Congress moved to push for an adjournment motion in Rajya Sabha in Lalitgate case. 

In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, “There is no question of accepting an ultimatum from anybody; nobody can dictate (terms) to Parliament.” He was reacting to the Opposition’s demand to seek resignation BJP chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in addition to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Naidu said that 29 opposition parties did not back the Congress stand on not allowing the House to function. 

Naidu expressed concern over the media reports that the session will be a wash-out and hoped that those reports will not come true.

On his part Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to opposition parties at the meeting to utilize Parliament time for discussing all issues concerning people. He said the government was willing to 

take all positive suggestions from opposition parties. 

The possibility of a breakthrough on bill however looked possible after Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav said that his party could consider passage if the points raised by it were accommodated by the government. Rural Development Minister Chowdhary Birender Singh too indicated that the government could bring a fresh bill if the SS Ahluwalia-led joint parliamentary committee recommended widespread changes.

During the course of the day, the ruling benches managed some success as a Rajya Sabha Select Committee adopted a report endorsing majority provisions of the GST Bill after the Centre agreed to compensate states for revenue loss for 5 years even as Congress filed a dissent note. 

Under attack for her alleged links with former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is keen to make a statement in Parliament. Swaraj has been attacked by the opposition for helping disgraced cricket boss Lalit Modi get travel papers in Britain to travel to Portugal for his wife’s treatment. The Congress on the other had has demanded that Sushma Swaraj must be sacked for helping Modi, who it calls a “fugitive”. Swaraj has defended her move, saying she helped Modi on “humanitarian grounds”, so he could be with his wife for her treatment in Portugal. 

The Congress on Monday accused the Modi government of “doing nothing” on issues it held dear, including corruption, while a year has passed since the BJP-led alliance took office at the Centre. Before he took over as prime minister, Narendra Modi would say that parliament would be rid of corrupt people, even if they belonged to the NDA or his own party, the BJP, former minister Kapil Sibal told a press conference here on the eve of beginning of monsoon session of parliament. “He would say he was a ‘chowkidar’ (watchman) of the nation’s wealth and would not allow the corrupt to steal it. But now he has become the ‘chowkidar’ of the corrupt,” the Congress leader said.