14-day logjam: Govt reaches out to Oppn

Tribune News Service & PTI

New Delhi, March 22

Union Minister Vijay Goel on Thursday met Opposition leaders, including Leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, at their residence in an effort to break the logjam in Parliament, which has been paralysed for 14 days due to protests by various parties.

His meeting with Azad, V Maitreyan, AIADMK leader in the Upper House, and TDP leader YS Chowdary came after he asserted at a press conference that the “government is willing for a discussion on no-confidence motions against it as it has a strong majority” in the Lok Sabha. He said he would meet key Opposition leaders, including from the TRS and the TMC, to persuade them to call off their protest in Parliament.

Official sources said Goel had an hour-long meeting with Azad and would meet more leaders on Friday.

The second leg of the Budget session has been a washout in the Houses since it started on March 5 due to protests by various parties over a number of issues.

It’s election time and Opposition parties in both Houses have been doing all they can to raise regional issues in Parliament, going to the extent of blocking with placards the view of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Union ministers for better visibility on TV.

Earlier in the day, Goel  wondered why Opposition leaders were debating on television and not in the House. “I will be visiting key leaders of Opposition parties to persuade them to call off their protests,” he said noting that over Rs 2.5 lakh is spent per minute on running Parliament.

Urging the Opposition parties to raise their issues and debate them in the two Houses, he said 14 days had been wasted in the resumed session.  The TDP and the YSR Congress have given notices of no-confidence motion against the government following the Centre’s stand that it cannot provide special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Several parties have been protesting in Parliament over variety of issues such as banking scam, Cauvery board, special status to Andhra Pradesh and quota hike, leading to daily adjournments. A large number of Bills, including those on triple talaq, whistleblower protection and OBC commission, are pending in Parliament. The Lok Sabha passed the crucial Finance Bill without any discussion.

Another day of no work in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha again witnessed unruly scenes created by AIADMK and TRS members on Thursday, forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House for the day without transacting any business. The two notices of no-confidence motion against the government were not taken up for the fourth day as the chair ruled that it could not proceed forward unless the House was in order. The AIADMK is pressing for immediate setting up of the Cauvery river management board. The TRS, whose members held placards saying “one nation, one law”, is demanding that the states be given the right to determine the proportion of reservations.