JOIN USThe upcoming Budget session of Parliament may be a wash out as the Congress and the BJP are refusing to check their barbs against each other.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed “one family” – an apparent reference to the Gandhi family – for the repeated disruptions in Parliament, the Congress had hit back with charges of nepotism against Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.
Besides, the Congress also plans to raise the issue of the Maharashtra governor’s sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan in Adarsh scam and Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide during the Budget session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also held a meeting with NDA constituents – the TDP, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, RPI (A) and the Apna Dal to chalk out the strategy for the session. BJP president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were among those who attended the meeting.
The Budget session would take place at a time when campaigning for the Assembly elections to four states and one Union territory would be underway. Leaders admit that the campaign heat will definitely have an impact on the functioning of Parliament.
“It is the responsibility of the government to run Parliament… to reach across (to the opposition) which then creates a situation conducive for smooth functioning of the House. The prime minister has completely and absolutely failed to show that statesmanship,” AICC spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters when asked whether the Congress would continue to disrupt Parliament.
Tewari also recalled the then leader of the opposition Arun Jaitley’s remarks justifying “disruption as a legitimate Parliamentary tactic”.
However, not everyone within the Congress agrees with the line taken by the party in Parliament. Ironically, such leaders have been reduced to watching the party activities from the margins.
“We have jumped into this blame game quite early and it could backfire on us,” a senior Congress leader said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu too has gone on the offensive against the Congress accusing it of being “intolerant” towards the mandate of the people.
DH News Service