House Grouse: Congress now accuses BJP of playing politics
30 April 2013 6:55 AM IST
Toughening its stand, Congress on Monday attacked BJP for ‘playing politics’ through disruptions as Parliament failed to transact normal business for the sixth consecutive day amid protests on the coalgate issue.
‘If the Opposition is unreasonable, then it is not just the government’s responsibility to run Parliament. You cannot make unreasonable demands and then say that the ruling party should accept the unreasonable demand...,’ party spokesperson Sandip Dikshit told reporters here at the AICC briefing.
Accusing BJP of using some issues as a pretext to block the passage two crucial bills of UPA on food security and land acquisition, he said that the Opposition party was doing it for political gains in the assembly elections in Karnataka.
‘What BJP is doing is only politics. There is not an iota of public welfare in what they are engaging in,’ he said.
Dikshit rejected the contentions that the logjam in Parliament continues in the wake of the Opposition charge that Law Minister Ashwini Kumar ‘interfered’ with the functioning of CBI and that he was not replying to the allegation against him.
‘Nobody is shying away from a debate but a debate can happen only when Parliament runs. We are ready for a debate.
‘The Law Minister should be given an opportunity to make his stand clear,’ the Congress spokesperson said. Dikshit left it to the Law Minister to answer when asked for a categorical reply on whether Congress believes that there was nothing wrong in what he did.
‘We are not saying he has done no wrong or he has done no right. He has done what he thinks to be correct and he is the most able person to answer that. He has been constantly maintaining that what he has done is within the parameters of what are within his power. Let us give him an opportunity to clarify himself,’ he said.
Dikshit said that perhaps the Opposition feels that in the eventuality of a discussion, it won’t be able to target the Law Minister with the kind of allegation that it is making now.
He asserted that it is not the allegation of BJP, which is going to decide whether what the Law Minister did was an interference that was not warranted or whether it was not.
‘I am not saying I am not giving him a clean chit... Who am I to give anybody a clean chit. He has done something. He believes that he has done a correct thing. There is no reason for us to doubt that what he has done is illegal, wrong or unconstitutional. In any case the matter is before the Supreme Court. Let the SC judge it,’ he added.
Dikshit said that as far as the running of Parliament is concerned, all elected members have to realise that while they do have a part in politics, they also have a role in legislating. ‘I think it is important that we legislate and come together on important businesses,’ he said.
The Congress spokesperson said that while he cannot say what BJP will do tomorrow ‘but all the financial business are slated to be passed tomorrow.’
BJP on Monday agreed to a temporary truce with the government on the coal mines and 2G spectrum allocation issues and said it will allow the passage of financial business in Lok Sabha before resuming its agitation in Parliament against the Manmohan Singh government.
The Congress spokesperson thanked the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj for it and said that it was decided in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee that all these bills are brought before the House.
He said he was hopeful that the Opposition will ‘continue its positive’ attitude towards the passage other key bills as well. ‘We will make all efforts to ensure that the two key bills are passed tomorrow after a discussion,’ he said.
Dikshit also downplayed Samajwadi Party’s attack on the government on the Chinese incursion, saying that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has strong opinions on China and that party ‘is not stalling the House.’
However, it was agreed at an all-party meeting called by LS Speaker Meira Kumar to break the ongoing logjam that the crucial finance bill, along with the railway appropriation bill and the demands for grants of various ministries would be taken up Tuesday, said sources.
‘If the Opposition is unreasonable, then it is not just the government’s responsibility to run Parliament. You cannot make unreasonable demands and then say that the ruling party should accept the unreasonable demand...,’ party spokesperson Sandip Dikshit told reporters here at the AICC briefing.
Accusing BJP of using some issues as a pretext to block the passage two crucial bills of UPA on food security and land acquisition, he said that the Opposition party was doing it for political gains in the assembly elections in Karnataka.
‘What BJP is doing is only politics. There is not an iota of public welfare in what they are engaging in,’ he said.
Dikshit rejected the contentions that the logjam in Parliament continues in the wake of the Opposition charge that Law Minister Ashwini Kumar ‘interfered’ with the functioning of CBI and that he was not replying to the allegation against him.
‘Nobody is shying away from a debate but a debate can happen only when Parliament runs. We are ready for a debate.
‘The Law Minister should be given an opportunity to make his stand clear,’ the Congress spokesperson said. Dikshit left it to the Law Minister to answer when asked for a categorical reply on whether Congress believes that there was nothing wrong in what he did.
‘We are not saying he has done no wrong or he has done no right. He has done what he thinks to be correct and he is the most able person to answer that. He has been constantly maintaining that what he has done is within the parameters of what are within his power. Let us give him an opportunity to clarify himself,’ he said.
Dikshit said that perhaps the Opposition feels that in the eventuality of a discussion, it won’t be able to target the Law Minister with the kind of allegation that it is making now.
He asserted that it is not the allegation of BJP, which is going to decide whether what the Law Minister did was an interference that was not warranted or whether it was not.
‘I am not saying I am not giving him a clean chit... Who am I to give anybody a clean chit. He has done something. He believes that he has done a correct thing. There is no reason for us to doubt that what he has done is illegal, wrong or unconstitutional. In any case the matter is before the Supreme Court. Let the SC judge it,’ he added.
Dikshit said that as far as the running of Parliament is concerned, all elected members have to realise that while they do have a part in politics, they also have a role in legislating. ‘I think it is important that we legislate and come together on important businesses,’ he said.
The Congress spokesperson said that while he cannot say what BJP will do tomorrow ‘but all the financial business are slated to be passed tomorrow.’
BJP on Monday agreed to a temporary truce with the government on the coal mines and 2G spectrum allocation issues and said it will allow the passage of financial business in Lok Sabha before resuming its agitation in Parliament against the Manmohan Singh government.
The Congress spokesperson thanked the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj for it and said that it was decided in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee that all these bills are brought before the House.
He said he was hopeful that the Opposition will ‘continue its positive’ attitude towards the passage other key bills as well. ‘We will make all efforts to ensure that the two key bills are passed tomorrow after a discussion,’ he said.
Dikshit also downplayed Samajwadi Party’s attack on the government on the Chinese incursion, saying that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has strong opinions on China and that party ‘is not stalling the House.’
However, it was agreed at an all-party meeting called by LS Speaker Meira Kumar to break the ongoing logjam that the crucial finance bill, along with the railway appropriation bill and the demands for grants of various ministries would be taken up Tuesday, said sources.
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