Centre seeks to pre-empt Parliament logjam

Asks parties to come on board to pass anti-graft bills

Sensing trouble in the passage of Telangana bill, the Centre on Monday launched an offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the final session of the 15th Lok Sabha and asked political parties to make their stand clear on the issue.

“There cannot be ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. I have asked parties to make their stand clear whether they are for corruption or against corruption, whether they are for Telangana or against Telangana,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said her party will support the passage of the bills if the government ensures orderly functioning of the two Houses.

She said the government cannot blame the opposition for disruptions as its own members have been protesting over the issue of Telangana. The resumed Winter Session of Parliament begins on Wednesday and conclude on February 21. 

The United Progressive Alliance has drawn up an ambitious agenda for the session by listing 39 bills, including the contentious Women’s Reservation Bill, the Communal Violence Bill, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, a clutch of six draft legislation which are part of the anti-corruption framework mooted by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and Finance Minister P Chidambaram will present the Vote on Account (Railways) and Vote on Account (General) respectively.

That the brief session may be a stormy one is a foregone conclusion but the government’s floor managers are worried about is the stand taken by the BJP on the Telangana issue.