Not being obstructionist on insurance bill: Anand Sharma

The Congress is not being obstructionist on the insurance bill, party leader Anand Sharma said Tuesday, adding that a select committee of parliament should first discuss the measure.

"All the opposition parties were together yesterday (Monday) when the government called for an informal meeting. We (Congress) party are not being obstructionist and opposing for the sake of it," Sharma, a former commerce minister, told a news channel outside parliament.

"In a democracy the government must listen to opposition, the combined opposition. Almost all opposition party and each one of them have raised some issue. The best way for the government is to discuss it. So the forum for discussion should be a committee of the house," he added.

Sharma pointed out that it was the Congress that introduced the bill in 2008 and charged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with opposing it for six years.

"For six years they (BJP) were serving public interest and now we are doing disservice by asking for more clarity on some substantive issues of the bill. Government should not mislead the public," he said.

The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill aims at raising the ceiling on foreign direct investment (FDI) to 49% from the current 26%.