Minister expressed regret, won't quit: Venkaiah Naidu

The government wouldn't relent before the opposition demand for the resignation of union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti as she "has expressed regret and offered apology", Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said Thursday.

"We have already made our stand very clear. There is no question of the minister resigning, or removing the minister. The minister has expressed regret and offered apology in both houses of parliament. The issue was closed then and there itself," Naidu said.

For the third consecutive day Thursday, a united opposition persisted with its demand for Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's resignation for using abusive language at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Delhi.

As the issue was deemed closed after Sadhvi's apology in parliament, Naidu said some parties continued to disrupt parliament proceedings to "make political capital out of the issue".

Alluding to the Congress, he said "better standards" and "better responses" were expected from a party that has some 50 years of experience in Indian parliament.

"Unfortunately, that is not happening. I hope they (the Congress) see reason, they realise the aspirations of the people and then try to cooperate in proper conduct of the house," he said.

Naidu said more urgent issues like Thursday's railway accident in Uttar Pradesh - in which five children were killed when their school van was hit by a train - needed attention while parliament was in session.

Highlighting the NDA government's proactive and considerate style of functioning, Naidu said the "government wants to take parliament into confidence, wants to take the opposition into confidence and take them along with us in moving forward and taking the country forward".