Stalemate over House panels continues

The deadlock over the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) boycott of parliamentary committees looks set to continue for at least a week, with both the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the NDA hardening their positions.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday said the government could not expunge the remarks made by Leader of the House (Lok Sabha) Pranab Mukherjee condemning the Opposition because that would "send out a message that the insult to the Speaker was justified".

"The Lok Sabha Speaker and the chairman of the Rajya Sabha have the right to speak and the NDA infringed on that right," said Azad.

The minister who returned this morning from Srinagar is expected to get down to the brasstacks with NDA leaders soon to hammer out a solution, before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from his trip to Bangkok.

Soon after Azad's statement, the NDA went into a huddle. Leader of the BJP LK Advani said the NDA would not accept membership of standing committees until the government had made amends.

With the Prime Minister returning only on Sunday and the BJP starting its chintan baithak in Goa, it looks as if the issue will be dragged on over the next one week.

But government sources were sanguine and said negotiations were on between the government and the NDA to come to a settlement. "We are looking at a solution within the next two days," said a minister.

"The reason why NDA convener George Fernandes came out with a statement saying the remark made by Mukherjee be expunged in exchange for the NDA's participation in parliamentary committees was a result of the onging talks," he said.

"The exact terms are to be ironed out," he added.

Not just that, according to sources, the Prime Minister spoke to Advani a couple of days back exploring options for a solution. "The exact terms are to be ironed out," he said.

Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, has been designated as the trouble-shooter and he reportedly is in touch with some NDA leaders.

"Both factions have now stated their positions and negotiations to hammer out a settlement have begun," said the minister.

The mood in the UPA is not conciliatory, with many senior leaders expressing the opinion that calling the NDA back to the committees was a matter of form rather than a necessity.

"The NDA has talked itself into a corner, and we have to get them back to maintain parliamentary propriety," said a senior minister.

However, the NDA is aware that at least to satisfy parliamentary propriety, the UPA will have a bend a little. The brinkmanship game is expected to drag on in the coming week.