Blame game starts over House disruption

New Delhi:  With the winter session of Parliament set to be a washout, the government and the opposition on Friday accused each other of being responsible for it.
Attacking the Centre, Congress leader Ambika Soni said everyone wants Parliament to function, but it is the government’s responsibility to ensure its smooth functioning. “Who does not want Parliament to function?… But it is the prerogative of the government to run it. The Prime Minister should come, sit in the House and listen to the proceedings. Is it not a duty of the Prime Minister to hear what the opposition MPs have to say?” Soni asked.
BSP leader Mayawati said the Prime Minister should come to the House for discussion. She also demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into demonetisation as, she said, there was a lot of talk about irregularities.
CPI(M) leader Md. Salim said the MPs have been coming to Parliament as they want a discussion, but it is the government that should take the initiative to break the logjam.
Refuting the opposition charges, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the ruling party has been ready for a debate from the start of the session itself. “We have been requesting, persuading opposition parties for it,” he said, adding the Congress, Communist parties and the Trinamool Congress did not allow functioning of the House.
He said these parties should apologise to the people for not allowing Parliament to function for 16 days. Kumar said that even on Thursday, the Congress had scuttled the attempt to hold proceedings by calling it a ‘Black Day’.
He claimed the opposition party was now talking about debate as it felt moral pressure against disrupting proceedings.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also questioned the opposition parties. “What has been happening since November 16 till now, what is it, if not disturbance?” he asked. He said the government has been ready for a debate.
Meanwhile, in keeping with her strident anti-Centre stance over demonetisation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that the Modi government was not allowing opposition parties to speak on the issue in Parliament, describing it as “most unfortunate”.
“This is most unfortunate. The opposition parties wanted to speak on demonetisation and run the House. Why did the government not allow the opposition to speak? This means the cat is out of the bag. The cashless have now become faceless,” she said in a statement.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said “for 16 days they have disrupted the House and held it hostage. Majority wanted to debate. But Congress, TMC and Left members are not allowing the House to function. The situation has reached such a stage that the President had to speak against the disruption. They must tender apology to the people of the country,” he said.
BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi said for protests and sit-ins, as suggested by the President, Jantar Mantar is the best place and not the Parliament and hence the Opposition must apologise.
The impasse continued when it re-assembled and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar tabled a bill amid the din before the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. (PTI)