No end in sight to Parliament deadlock;Cong, BJP in blame-game

Parliament is likely to remain paralysed during the last days of monsoon session as Congress today showed no signs of relenting on its protests on the Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues and hit out at the BJP for its "politics of abuse".

The ruling party too sharpened its attack on the Congress saying it had played the role of "obstructionist and destructive" opposition during the session as it was "politically bankrupt".

25 Congress members of the Lok Sabha, who were suspended by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for five days for unruly behaviour, will be back in the House tomorrow. Congress leaders, however, parried questions on whether the MPs would again be showing placards in the house, an act that had angered the presiding officer.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the Congress to allow Parliament to function for the remaining four days saying government was willing to consider any meaningful suggestion to break the deadlock, but it failed to break the ice.

"Eight more important bills are there, four bills were already passed in Lok Sabha. I hope Congress understands its responsibility. Let us see what is going to happen (tomorrow). I want Monday to be Monday and I don't want Monday to be a Sunday," he told reporters in Chennai.

"I have told them (Congress party) that please come to the House. Let there be discussion. Even the suspension of Congress MPs could be revoked. But there was no response. Even now if there is a meaningful suggestion, the government is willing to consider the suggestion," Naidu said.

The opposition party, however, told the government that it was not amused by the "politics of abuse" resorted to by BJP leaders and Union Ministers against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

"Unfortunately, BJP leadership's thought process is fast turning to the level of personal abuse as reflected from statements of Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani and Santosh Gangwar.

"We, in Congress, reject in toto and want to humbly tell the Modi government that politics of abuse will never replace the politics of consensus and construction in India," Congress' chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said here.

The opposition has been agitating for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping controversial former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam, leading to disruption of proceedings in Parliament.

Protesting against the suspension of MPs, Congress and other opposition parties boycotted Lok Sabha proceedings.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi who along with Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi is leading the protests, BJP said he is "miles away from ground realities" and alleged that Congress has made Parliament a "platform" to display its "narrow political mindset".

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while politics of Parliament and road is for people's welfare, the "brand new leader" of the grand old party is "neither able to understand realities of the roads nor importance of Parliament."

The minister said that disruption in Parliament on genuine issues is an acceptable part of democracy, but it must be issue-based, logical and in the interest of people of the country.

"But what we have seen from day one of the current Monsoon Session of Parliament, which started on July 21, is disruption on non-issues and without any logic.

"It is against democratic principles. Proceedings in both the Houses have been disrupted by the Congress, the main Opposition party, on baseless issues while the government was always ready for debate on all the issues and to resolve them," Naqvi claimed in his blog post.

A senior Congress leader, who declined to be identified, said that there have been no efforts from the government side in the last two days to end the deadlock.

Party leaders have thrown the ball in the government's court on the issue of smooth functioning of Parliament contending that if it was interested in its running, then it will reach out to the opposition.

It said that the deadlock in Parliament would end when the Prime Minister takes action those indulging in "gross impropriety and corruption".

The monsoon session is concluding on August 13 and government has plans to bring the Land bill in the Lok Sabha this week.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh too appealed to opposition parties today to lend support to GST bill for its passage in Parliament and said the government is open to amendments in future.

"I appeal to all parties to support us in Parliament so that we can pass it. We are open to amendments of GST Bill in future as per suggestions of traders," he said addressing a conference of traders here.