JOIN US'Refer and defer' session shows gap in Cong: BJP
“In one sentence, from the government point of view it was refer and defer Parliament session. Government had to either refer bills or defer bills. Where they got BJP support, they could get bills passed else they had to refer or defer them,” Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said while addressing a press conference along with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.
The Education Tribunal Bill was deferred on the last day of the Parliament session on Tuesday, mainly on account of opposition from K Keshav Rao, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and a Congress Working Committee member.
Lack of cooperation
Stating that there was no cooperation among various ministries on implementing developmental projects, Jaitley said there was “a gap” between ministers and Congress MPs and it was widening.
Jaitley also said the government should not act out of “panic” on Jammu and Kashmir. Swaraj said the BJP played a responsible opposition's role in both houses of parliament during the session.
“The BJP effectively raised the issue of UPA’s inability to control price rise and inflationary pressures on the economy. To avoid a vote the Government had to resort to a chair-sponsored special statement to be issued. The BJP’s emphasis on price rise in both Houses was a continuation of the national campaign against UPA to control price rise,” according to Jaitley.
The BJP also questioned the Prime Minister’s ability in checking crisis. “This Parliament session revealed that there is a drift in the functioning of the Government. The Prime Minister’s ability to govern effectively and contain several crisis has taken a beating. The Home Minister is no longer pursuing his anti-Maoist line. The Finance Minister appears to have preferred Mamata Banerjee’s soft approach to Maoists,” they said.