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| Govt rejects discussion on price rise |
| Press Trust of India / New Delhi Feb 22, 2010, 21:42 IST |
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The government today rejected the demand for a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the price rise issue tomorrow through an adjournment motion that entails voting, signalling a possible confrontation with the Opposition in the House.
With opposition sticking to its demand, an uproar is expected in the House with government insisting that the problem of price rise was "more a failure" of the state governments than the Centre.
A discussion under an adjournment motion would entail voting and the government wants it to be taken up only as a short duration-discussion which does not have voting.
"These discussions do not lie under (the purview of) adjournment motion," Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal told reporters asserting that the government was not afraid to face any motion.
"We are very confident. We are going to last for five years. There is no fear of anything.... We are confident that our allies are with us. There is no problem," he said emphatically when asked whether the UPA partners like DMK and Trinamool Congress and outside supporters like Samajwadi Party and RJD would make the government's path slippery.
His comments came soon after opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, met Speaker Meira Kumar and declared that they would bring an adjournment motion tomorrow and demand suspension of Question Hour.
Party Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde said that the BJP has already given a notice for adjournment motion and the government should not make it an ego issue. "We will not allow the House to run if the adjournment motion is not accepted," he said.
Besides Swaraj, opposition leaders who met the Speaker include Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI), Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M), Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD) and Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP).
Key UPA allies like Trinamool Congress and DMK have also sought a full-fledged debate on the issue.
Bansal said the government's objection was on matters of principles as the opposition was not playing as per rules governing the conduct of the House.
The government's contention was that the opposition parties could come up with cut motions when the motion to thank the President for her address would be voted upon.
However, in the Rajya Sabha both the government and the opposition have reached an understanding to take up discussion on price rise.
The opposition parties are expected to seek suspension of Question Hour to take up the price rise issue immediately after the House assembles for the day.
Dasgupta said his party was for discussion under an adjournment motion, noting that it was necessary to give a message to the country that Parliament is very serious in discussing the issue and a signal could go only if an "unusual procedure is adopted".
At the same time, he said the decision has been taken by his party independently.
He said a confrontation with the government appears certain in Parliament tomorrow but "we do not believe in disrupting the House".
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