| An irate Opposition and Treasury benches that had clearly decided to keep their powder dry, kept the Lok Sabha going.
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| The Lok Sabha managed to pass the Railways vote-on-account but zero hour dragged on for more than two hours as the Opposition demanded the government explain why it had not prorogued Parliament and why they were deprived of the chance of saying their piece on government policy.
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| The opposition alleged that the government had departed from constitutional propriety by doing away — through a sleight of hand — the President’s address customarily made in the first session of a new year.
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| Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Sushma Swaraj had to make identical statements in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on how the government had every intention of proroguing Parliament but decided against it because having declared elections, the President’s address might have been interpreted as a way of drawing the office of President in a political controversy.
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| “It is the government that clears the President’s address to the two Houses at the beginning of the session. And we did not want him to say anything that could be construed as being political”, she said.
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| However, the Opposition, that was allowed to have its full say because the government did not want a fracas on the eve of the general vote-on-account, criticised treasury benches in no uncertain terms. Shivraj Patil (Congress) said the government was trying to muzzle MPs from criticising it.
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| Ramjilal Suman said the government was insulting both the President and parliamentary institutions. But the worst attack was from Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) who claimed the Prime Minister was trying to gain cheap popularity through an election campaign launched in advance at the expense of parliamentary convention.
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| Sushma Swaraj was restrained and respectful. She said by the time the government had decided to hold an election it was clear that a vote on account was the only option.
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| The President's speech always refers tto the budget session. Not only would this reference have been missing from the speech, it would have read like a campaign speech which would have set up backs in the opposition. "There will be a new session and the President will read his speech. But we will be on this side of the House again" she said.
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| Although having said their piece, the opposition was pacified and let the Railway vote on account be passed, leaders say big plans are afoot to disrupt proceedings on the general vote on account. |
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