Govt calls all-party meet to end logjam

The Central government on Friday called an all-party meeting on Monday to break the two-week-long logjam in Parliament.

However, a combative Congress spurned the peace initiative, demanding “tangible action” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on controversial issues.

There appeared little chance of a resolution to the deadlock as Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu launched a sharp attack on the Congress for not letting Parliament function.

“It is for the Congress to introspect and decide whether it wants to be partners in development or continue disruption,” he said, adding that the government had all along “walked the extra mile” to accommodate the Opposition by referring crucial bills to Parliamentary committees.

Naidu said he reached out to political parties for a meeting on Friday, but the Congress expressed its inability citing an internal party meeting. The minister said he will now to meet leaders of political parties on Monday to enable normal functioning of Parliament.

The Monsoon session of Parliament began on July 21, but has not transacted any significant business for the past two weeks.

The Congress has been disrupting proceedings demanding resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for facilitating travel documents for controversial IPL ex-chief Lalit Modi. It also wants Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sacked over his reported involvement in the Vyapam scam.

“We are not interested in mere photo-op, tea and sandwiches. The prime minister must first tell us what action is being taken on our demands,” said Congress spokesman Anand Sharma, adding that Parliament was not functioning due to the “obduracy and arrogance” of the prime minister, who was not ready to break his silence on Opposition-raised issues.

The government has rejected the demands for resignations, and accused the Congress of indulging in “smear politics and forgetting the corruption in its own backyard”.

“The Congress is perturbed by the government's increasing popularity over the past year. India's image and prestige have gone up internationally, investments are coming in and the economy is back on track. I think they do not want Narendra Modi to succeed,” said Naidu, adding that the government was ready to discuss any issue, but the Congress was not.