Opposition rethink on march to Rashtrapati Bhavan after President's rebuke

A combative and united Opposition expressed to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan their will for a discussion under any rule

After President Pranab Mukherjee criticised parliamentarians on Thursday, particularly the Opposition, for not doing their job and disrupting the winter session of Parliament, there is a rethink among them whether at all to march till the Rashtrapati Bhavan to lodge their protest with Mukherjee for the way Narendra Modi government has implemented demonetisation.

On Friday, a combative and united Opposition, increasingly confident that public opinion was finally turning against the Modi government on the 'note ban' issue, told Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that it was willing for a discussion under any rule. Until now, the opposition had been demanding a voting.

It was the turn of rattled treasury bench members to raise slogans demanding the Opposition's apology for having disrupted the proceedings for much of the winter session, which caused the chair to adjourn the House repeatedly and eventually for the entire day.

Senior BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader L K Advani, who has made his unhappiness evident at the conduct of his party MPs, showed visible anguish and was seen pacifying them on Friday. Opposition leaders said it was unheard of that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister would provoke his party members to disrupt the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had first raised the demand that the Opposition should apologise and pointed to the President's remarks about Opposition obstructionism.

Later, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien said the Opposition had played a responsible role in the Lok Sabha, but the government is now running away from the discussion.

The nub of the disagreement now is about which side will get the first opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha. A united Opposition agrees that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi should be the first to speak, while the government wants Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to open the discussion and that he be given at least an hour. Opposition parties will meet on Wednesday morning to decide whether they might agree to the government's conditions.

Outside Parliament, Gandhi said: "If they allow me to speak in Parliament, you will see what an earthquake is going to happen." He said when he speaks the Prime Minister will not even be able to sit there and termed 'note ban' the biggest scam in the history of India. Neither could the Rajya Sabha transact any business and was adjourned as the House lacked quorum, the requisite 10 per cent of the strength of the House wasn't present when it met after the lunch break at 2.30pm. According to sources, the Rajya Sabha was looking at whether the Lok Sabha starts the discussion. In the morning, Opposition raised the issue of government slashing the wheat import duty.

Parliament will be shut on Monday and Tuesday on account of Milad-Un-Nabi (birthday of Prophet Mohammad). The winter session concludes on Friday, December 16 and it is increasingly looking like a complete washout.

It is looking increasingly probable that the government will not be table to ensure the passage of the three Goods and Services Tax (GST) related Bill, which could make keeping to the April 1, 2017, deadline for GST rollout difficult.

The Lok Sabha also wishes Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her birthday.