NEW DELHI, Aug 22:
Stalling Parliament for the second consecutive day, BJP today escalated its confrontation with the Government but its strategy found no takers among key allies like JD-U and other opposition parties.
Key UPA ally Trinamool Congress also rejected BJP’s request to it to side with the main opposition party in targetting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the CAG report on coal allocation.
BJP members walked out of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on 2G scam when its demand for summoning the Prime Minister and Finance Minister P Chidambaram and key PMO officials was rebuffed by the Congress, stepping up its confrontation with the Government.
BJP’s strategy of disrupting Parliament did not find favour with the JD-U whose leader Sharad Yadav, who is also NDA convenor, said discussions should take place in the two Houses on the coal block allocation issue.
At the same time, the JD-U said it was with BJP for the sake of NDA discipline and unity but that would be at the most for another two days.
In an attempt to assess the mood of other parties, Yadav talked to leaders of CPI-M, CPI, TDP, SP and BSP who favoured debate instead of disruption of Parliament.
BJD said stalling the proceedings of the House does not serve any purpose.
“We want the House to function. Biju Janata Dal favours discussion on ‘coalgate’ in Parliament. It would be more democratic to discuss it so that point of views of parties can be known on the issue,” BJD leader and Lok Sabha MP B Mahtab told reporters.
Sources close to Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she has rejected the BJP request for siding with it.
On its part, BJP went on the offensive on its demand for Prime Minister’s resignation on the ground that former Telecom Minister A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran had to quit.
“As A Raja had to go for 2G scam, and Dayanidhi Maran had to resign for his role in Aircel-Maxis deal, similarly the then Coal Minister Manmohan Singh has to go,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Key NDA constituent JD-U caused embarrassment to BJP in the Lok Sabha by initiating a special discussion on flood and drought situation even as members of the main opposition were in the Well shouting slogans against the Prime Minister.
Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JD-U) surprised many in the opposition benches by speaking on the issue when Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda took up the listed item.
Unhappy with the disruption caused by BJP, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the Government was willing to initiate the debate immediately on the three CAG reports. But, his offer went unheeded with opposition members shouting slogans like “Pradhan Mantri gaddi choro (PM should quit).”
“Their intention is clear. What do they want to convert Parliament into? Parliament is for discussions. Let them come and discuss. We will demolish the opposition’s point of view and that is why they are running away,” Bansal said.
With opposition unrelenting, Deputy Speaker Karia Munda adjourned the House for the day shortly after 2 PM.
Earlier also the House could not function and was adjourned twice till 2 PM.
Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day around the same time after three adjournments in the pre-lunch sitting on the same issue.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed tumultuous scenes with Opposition members targeting the ruling Congress by alleging corruption in the allocation, in which the CAG has spoken of Rs 1.86 lakh crore “undue benefit” to private firms.
“Koyle ki dalali hai, sari Congress kali hai” (there is a scam in coal allocation, the entire Congress is black) and ‘Pradhan Mantri gaddi chhoro’ (PM quit) were among the slogans that rent the air in both the Houses.
Congress members countered the Opposition attack by hailing the Prime Minister, who was not present in either House.
Members of BJP, Shiv Sena, JD-U, TDP, BJD as also AIADMK trooped into the Well of the Lower House.
Left members were also on their feet protesting on the same issue, seeking a statement from the Prime Minister on the coal block allocation but not his resignation.
In the Rajya Sabha, NDA members were on their feet raising slogans. They were countered by those from treasury benches.
Earlier soon after the House met for the day, Speaker Meira Kumar made an obituary reference of former member Prabhat Singh Chauhan.
After it was over, members from NDA and some Left parties trooped into the Well.
Most of the BJP members, who refused to heed to Kumar’s appeal for normalcy, were heard demanding Singh’s resignation.
With Opposition members not relenting, Kumar adjourned the House till noon and then till 2 PM.
It was a similar situation in Rajya Sabha when it assembled for the day as BJP-led NDA members were on their feet shouting slogans demanding Prime Minister’s resignation.
“Istifa do, istifa do, Pradhan Mantri istifa do (Prime Minister resign),” they chanted while Chairman Hamid Ansari told members not to raise slogans and asked senior BJP member M Venkiah Naidu as to what he wanted to speak.
Naidu then said, “we want Prime Minister to go” and not a mere statement on the issue.
Amid slogan shouting, Ansari adjourned the House for 30 minutes. When it reassembled, similar scenes were seen and the House was adjourned till noon. It was again adjourned till 2 PM and then finally for the day.
Meanwhile, BJP and Congress were locked in a confrontation in the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G scam with members of the main Opposition storming out of its meeting over the issue of calling Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram and threatening to quit from it.
Amid growing bitterness between ruling and opposition side in the 30-member JPC, all the five BJP members present at the meeting walked out, claiming that Congress members had used foul language when they pressed for calling Singh and Chidambaram.
The BJP members insisted that it was necessary to call Singh and Chidambaram for a “fair investigation” into the 2G spectrum allocation scam of 2008.
Congress members opposed the demand, saying such senior ministers should not be subjected to “insult” just for “political gains” of BJP.
JPC Chairman P C Chacko said there was no provocation for the walkout and it was a “pre-determined” step.
BJP members-Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Dharmendra Pradhan, Gopinath Munde and Ravishankar Prasad-left the meeting about two hours after JPC assembled to finalise the list of persons who shall depose before the Committee.
They indicated that they were contemplating quitting the JPC, saying a decision on this would be taken later.
Chacko had circulated a draft list of 107 persons, including Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram besides BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Shourie, for finalisation.
During the meeting, BJP’s Jaswant Singh said the Prime Minister and Chidambaram should be called before the JPC.
Congress MP Deepender Hooda charged the BJP with politicising the issue and converting the proceedings into a ‘kangaroo court’ (a mock court which has no regard to principles of justice).
This triggered angry protests by BJP and a war of words during which even CPI member Gurudas Dasgupta took objection to use of such terms. (PTI)
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