Opposition irresponsible, doesn’t believe in SC, Parl, EC: Rijiju

As the Congress-led Opposition led a huge protest march outside the Election Commission (EC) headquarters on Monday, against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed it for holding the Parliament and the country to ransom.

His remarks came even as both Houses of Parliament passed eight Bills amid protests. These included the National Sports Governance Bill, The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, The Income-Tax (No 2) Bill and Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, as well as the Manipur Appropriation Bill and the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill.

Speaking to media in Parliament soon after the protest march led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi concluded, Rijiju said he had never witnessed such an “irresponsible” Opposition, adding that the leaders of Congress and the INDIA bloc don’t believe in the Supreme Court, Parliament, or the Election Commission.

Criticising the Opposition for repeated disruptions in both Houses, he warned that the government would continue with its legislative agenda without their participation. “Every day, we will not allow the country’s and Parliament’s time to be wasted on one issue. Therefore, we will pass important Bills,” Rijiju said.

“You have raised an issue, do it for one day. What is the point in raising the same issue every day?” the minister said, referring to the Opposition’s protests on the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

“People have been elected to Parliament for public welfare, but if you are going to resort to disruptions every day, how will you serve the people?” Rijiju sought to know.

When asked if the Monsoon Session would end earlier than scheduled, Rijiju was non-committal, saying, “We will see.” He added, “The Opposition is not interested in allowing Parliament to function. They are only interested in headline management. They do not trust democratic institutions.”

Meanwhile, the Parliament on Monday passed eight bills amid protests from the Opposition on the SIR issue.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan today accused former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of maligning the Constitution and Constitutional authorities in an “act of frustration over serial poll losses.”

He said instead of hitting the streets, Congress should raise issues in Parliament which thy have been disrupting, said Pradhan.