As Cong plans no-trust move, Modi urges all to make Monsoon Session productive
Even as the Congress is planning to bring a no-confidence motion against the Government in the Monsoon Session, beginning Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged cooperation from all political parties to turn the session a productive one as the preceding Budget Session was a complete washout.
The previous Parliament session had witnessed repeated adjournments and clashes between the Treasury and Opposition benches leading to derailing of the business and proceedings in both the Houses. A total of 46 Bills will be taken up during the session, including the controversial triple talaq Bill which is yet to get passage in the Rajya Sabha.
Addressing a meeting of leaders of various parties in Parliament, the Prime Minister hoped that each one of them would raise issues of public importance in the larger interest of the country.
leader of the Congress party in the lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said as many as 12 Opposition parties have agreed to bring a motion of no confidence against the Government. Kharge said the BJP is creating an atmosphere of fear where important leaders and Ministers encourage those who have been accused of lynching.
Kharge claimed that most of the Opposition parties have agreed on a few common pointers for Parliament session. He said members of 12 non-NDA parties attended the meeting called by the Congress on Monday night, whereas representatives of four other parties could not make it because of lack of time.
However, there was no clarity on whether the TDP, which has also decided to bring in a no-confidence motion, will back the Congress-initiated plan. On Monday, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Opposition parities seeking support for the no-confidence motion on TDP's demand for State's Reorganisation Act, 2014 and the Special Category Status (SCS). The TDP chief did not address the letter to the Congress. A TDP source said the party will take a view on the Congress' move after internal discussion. The Congress has said the TDP demand will also figure in the no-confidence motion. The BJD is also unlikely to join hands with the Opposition to back the no-confidence motion.
Also, Kharge said the parties will raise the issue of rising unemployment, women's security and misrule of Jammu & Kashmir in Parliament.
"We agreed upon bringing a vote of no confidence and we will also demand the special status for Andhra Pradesh, and by Tuesday night we will mobilise it as much as possible," Kharge said addressing the media after the all-party meeting.
The row over Congress president Rahul Gandhi's reported statement that his party is for Muslims is also set to cast its shadow over the Monsoon Session as both the BJP and the Opposition look to set the tone for some key State polls before the next lok Sabha elections in less than 10 months.
The BJP would like to push the issue into political centre stage as Opposition parties, which are seen to be closing ranks to take on the ruling NDA, are expected to target the Government over its alleged failures on economic front, nationwide cases of lynching, political crisis in Kashmir and price rise.
While the Government, this time, has claimed that the Opposition has assured them of their cooperation to ensure smooth functioning of both Houses of Parliament, Opposition parties have voiced their concerns during the interaction with the Government.
"The Prime Minister on Tuesday sought the cooperation of all political parties for the smooth functioning of Parliament and a productive session. “People of India want Parliament to function...The entire country expects and hopes the Parliament will function and debate over issues of national interest," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told mediapersons after the meeting.
According to the Minister, there was a cordial atmosphere in the meeting and all parties were in favour of a productive Monsoon Session. "The Government will leave no stone unturned to facilitate smooth functioning of Parliament during the ensuing Monsoon Session," he said, claiming there was a consensus among parties to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament without disruptions.
leaders of Opposition parties also wrote to lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, saying the trends that emerged during the Budget Session of Parliament might prove lethal to the country's constitutional democracy if left unchecked. They also accused the ruling party of denigrating rules and the Constitution which lowered the dignity of Parliament and the Chair and asked the Speaker whether she had also written to the leader of the House, who is the Prime Minister, asking him to put a full stop on such "subversion".
The letter was signed by various Opposition leaders in the lok Sabha, including those from the Congress, CPI(M), Samajwadi Party, NCP, IUMl, CPI, RJD and some other parties. Mahajan had last week written to Opposition parties expressing concern over the frequent disruptions in Parliament and asked them to introspect while ensuring that the dignity of Parliament was not undermined.
Pointing to the manner in which the no-confidence motion was dealt with, the leaders said as the concept of 'no confidence' flowed from Article 75(3) of the Constitution, it was the reason why the Rule 198 of lok Sabha rules did not vest any discretionary powers with the speaker as far as admissibility of the motion was concerned.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav charged the Government with ignoring the OBCs and SC/STs in appointments in higher education institutes. "We will not allow the House to function till an assurance is given by the Government on the floor of the House on reservation to SCs and STs in higher education," said Yadav.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh raised the issue of alleged discrimination by the Centre against the Delhi Government and hoped the Prime Minister will address the issue.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Tuesday appointed Anurag Thakur, its MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, as the party's chief whip in the lok Sabha, party sources said. Thakur replaces Rakesh Singh, who was recently made Madhya Pradesh BJP president and is busy with election strategy in the poll-bound State.