In an effort to persuade the Opposition to end the logjam in Parliament, the Government on Friday ruled out sine die adjournment of the House and indicated that it would propose a two-day debate on the Chinese incursion issue.
The development came on a day when MPs of the BJP-led NDA met President Pranab Mukherjee.
Veteran BJP leader lK Advani insisted that the Government should give clarifications on Sarabjit’s case and on Chinese intrusions, in Parliament on Monday.
The Government is hopeful of a compromise formula being evolved as both the SP and BJP have given notices demanding a debate on the Chinese incursion.
Sources said that a two-day debate on the issue could be held. The Government feels that the BJP would find it difficult to wriggle out of the debate in view of the national importance of the issue.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon met Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been insisting on a debate on the issue, and briefed him about the present situation as far as the Chinese incursion in ladakh is concerned.
However, it remains to be seen how the Government and the Opposition resolve the issue of the latter’s demand for resignation of law Minister Ashwani Kumar over the vetting of the CBI status report on the coal scam probe.
With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh staunchly defending Kumar, the Congress would wait for the Supreme Court’s hearing on May 8 on the issue before deciding the fate of the law Minister.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath ruled out the possibility of Parliament adjourning sine die before May 10 and said that the Government would go ahead with key bills including the Food Security Bill, which was introduced in the lok Sabha on Thursday in din, and the land Acquisition Bill.
Earlier, the NDA delegation, led by alliance Working Chairperson lK Advani, met Mukherjee in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention on the two issues.
They demanded that Mukherjee discuss these issues with the UPA Government and ask it to take appropriate action.
"What distresses us very greatly is the inaction of the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs and the officials concerned. We are persuaded to emphasise this because we hold that our Government's inaction in this case cannot be condoned. They owe the country an explanation and an apology," Advani said.
On the "unilateral and forceful Chinese occupation" in ladakh, the NDA expressed concern that this may escalate into a 1962-like situation when there were similar incursions before it turned into a full-blown war.
"The Government and the Prime Minister have repeatedly announced that this is a 'localised' incident. May we submit this would tantamount to a disingenuous evasion of the Government's responsibilityIJ" Advani said.
"We would like to remind the Government that silent acquiescence in the face of a fait-accompli, whether of Pakistan or China is unforgivable pusillanimity. This is simply not acceptable," the NDA memorandum said.
Opposition parties submitted to the President that just because the line of Actual Control (lAC) is undefined does not mean China can give it a unilateral physical definition through unilateral and forceful occupation.
Terming this as unacceptable, the NDA said: "This manner of unilateral 'localised' actions, resulting in seizure of land, amounts to giving a forcible and physical definition to the lAC."
The NDA leaders maintained that the "arbitrary and unilateral breach" by China cannot be viewed as normal conduct.
"It is violative of agreed principles governing the conduct of forces of China in respect of the lAC," the memorandum said.
NDA also emphasised on the need for recalling a resolution adopted by both Houses of Parliament in November, 1962. "The Government must govern, or it must go," the NDA said.
Advani insisted that the Government should clarify both the Sarabjit case and the Chinese intrusions in Parliament next week.
BJP president Rajnath Singh pointed out to Mukherjee that before 2010 the Army was deployed in ladakh region where these incursions are taking place.
He requested that India should revert to the 2010 position and again post the Army in the region. He also told Mukherjee that External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid should cancel his proposed visit to China on May 9.