Let the house run, Congress appeals to opposition

Worried over a repeat of the washed-out budget session in which only two of the listed 16 bills could be passed, the Congress Friday appealed to opposition parties not to disrupt the house in the monsoon session and let legislations be passed for the public good.

"We hope this session is not washed out. We appeal to the members to let the house run and pass the legislations aimed at social welfare," Congress spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das told reporters.

Out of the 16 bills listed in the budget session, only two could be passed as the opposition did not allow the house to run, he said.

"As a result many social welfare bills could not be passed," said Das.

The Congress spokesperson said the government has listed five ordinances in this session which related to food security, readjustment of SC and STs in parliament and assembly constituencies, the Securities and Exchange Board, the Indian Medical Council, and securities laws.

The government, he said, has also listed bills aimed at promoting transparency in governance like the whistleblowers protection bill, a bill to prevent bribery of foreign officials, another bill to ensure time bound delivery of services, besides two bills on a national women's university and a national aviation university.

"We appeal to the opposition to debate the issues in the house," he said.