The standoff between the Treasury Benches and the Opposition may get prolonged, with the NDA Government on Thursday refusing to concede to the demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be present during the unfinished debate on demonetisation in the Rajya Sabha. The lok Sabha also could not discuss the issue, with the Opposition insisting that it should be carried out under provisions mandating voting.
Dismissing the Opposition’s demand that Modi must be present in the Upper House during the debate, a senior Minister said, “In each meeting with the Government, there was no such demand from the Opposition.”
“In any case, the Prime Minister is willing to come to the RS, but the Government will not accept any precondition that Modi’s attendance in the House is must for resumption of the debate,” he added.
Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, “Halfway through, they realised that by raising such a debate it was boomeranging on them. Now they are trying to find a way to come out of this and then stall the debate on one pretext or the other. They are speaking in different voices and are not coming out openly either for or against the move. They are in a dilemma and that dilemma will continue.”
Dubbing the uproar by the Congress and other Opposition parties as an “excuse” to stall the debate, Naidu alleged that there was no rationale behind it. The Minister said things would happen as per the rules and procedures of the House and urged that the debate should go on.
Naidu said the entire country was watching who was supporting hoarders and people with black money and who was with the Government and the Prime Minister, who had “taken such a revolutionary step. They have to make a choice”.
“let the discussion take place. Then (it will be decided) who will reply in the Government. It could be the Minister concerned. The solution will come through the Government as per traditions and rules,” he said.
The ongoing controversy in the RS apart, the proceedings in the lok Sabha, which was adjourned for the day on Thursday, may also run into a roadblock unless the Opposition steps back on its demand that the discussion take place under voting provision.
The Government is ready to have a discussion in the lok Sabha under Rule 193, which does not involve voting.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the Government was willing to debate the issue under Rule 193, as it did not want two voices to emerge from Parliament. His comment drew loud protests from the Opposition.
As Opposition parties refused to budge, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned proceedings for the day after a 25-minute adjournment earlier.
Earlier, as soon as the House met, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said his party wanted to move an adjournment motion.
leader of the Congress Party in lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said his party too wanted to move a similar motion to discuss the “hardship being faced by the people and the economic disruption and the failure of the Government to redress the plight of the people.”
He said another issue his party wanted to flag was the “leakage” of the information on demonetisation before it came into force.
The Question Hour between 11 am and noon went on amid continued vociferous protests and sloganeering by Opposition members, including those from the Congress, TMC, the left, SP and RJD. Members of some other parties, including AIADMK, were also seen in the aisle.
“We all want a discussion under Rule 56 so that we can know what the stand of all parties is when they vote. Then everyone will participate,” Kharge said.
Kumar from the Government’s side insisted that people at large are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision on demonetisation.