Congress's priority is politics of disruption and instability: Shah

Blaming the Congress for the impasse in Parliament's Budget Session, BJP president Amit Shah today said it has proved that the opposition party's priority is "politics of disruption and instability" and not people's welfare.

As BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, observed a fast to "expose" the Congress over the issue of disruption of Parliament, Shah accused the opposition of working to obstruct the prime minister's pro-poor and development agenda.

In an apparent reference to the Congress' claim that it was the BJP which deliberately sabotaged the session, he said the protest is to expose the "hypocrisy" of the Congress and the people will not "forgive" it for its conduct.

"People should know that those sent by them to Parliament as their representatives are working to obstructing the government's development works instead of working in their interests," Shah, who is in Karnataka today where he joined his party's protest against the Congress, said in a blog.

The government advanced the Budget Session to quicken the pace of development but the opposition, especially the Congress, does not want it and that is why it has become an impediment to this, he said.

He said the opposition's "irresponsible" conduct caused a loss of over Rs 333 crore of public money and the ruling NDA MPs' decision to forgo their salaries was a "call of conscience".

In the post, he noted that Rs 1.57 crore and Rs 1.10 crore are spent in running the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha per hour respectively when they are in session. Rs 200 crore and Rs 133 crore were spent in the two Houses respectively.

"The way the Congress vitiated the atmosphere in the Budget Session's second phase and disrupted it, people in a democracy will not forgive it. The opposition's irresponsible conduct is aimed at obstructing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts for the poor's welfare and the country's all-round development," Shah said.

Parliament meets to discuss the policies for the country's progress but instead of showing concern for the people the Congress has excelled in disrupting it, he said.

"It appeared that the Congress was more interested in making noise outside Parliament than engaging in a constructive debate inside," he said.

While Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured the House that the government was ready for a debate on various issues, including bank scam, Cauvery row and no-confidence motions, but the Congress began claiming that the government was not keen on a debate, he said.

People expect law-makers to take up issues concerning the country's development but the Congress set aside these concerns and began "lying", he alleged.

It was clear that Congress members were coming to Parliament for creating ruckus and they would do it the moment its proceedings would begin and then they would do the same outside, Shah said.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Lok Sabha Speaker always appealed for order but Congress MPs would always enter the Well of the two Houses, Shah said, adding that such a conduct does not behove a member.

"The Congress has nothing to do with the people's welfare and it is only interested in creating a ruckus to do politics of disruption and instability," he said.

The BJP chief in his blog named only the Congress and added that a few opposition parties also joined it.

Noting that Modi in his first speech as prime minister had said that his government was for the poor, backwards, women and youths, he said the BJP was committed to the welfare of people.