Parliament stares at washout; govt stays on warpath with Opposition
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 16: The first week of the second half of the Budget session is almost washed out. The government remains the principal disruptor of the proceedings of the two Houses of Parliament. The Opposition also has girded up to measure up to the government strategy to set national narrative by striking a belligerent position on certain remarks of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in London made earlier this month.
Four days have gone by with both the Houses of Parliament not transacting any businesses. The two Houses are being adjourned as a routine within minutes. There also appears no urgency on the part of the government to reach out to the Opposition to find a way out of the impasse.
Parliamentary ice is firmly frozen, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seemingly seeking to catch hold of a poll narrative for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Congress is the principal foe of the BJP in Karnataka, which is slated to go to the polls in the first week of May this year.
Gandhi had held extensive dialogue with a cross-section of audiences during his London stay. He had spoken at the Cambridge University also. He also spoke to the Indian diaspora. Gandhi had essentially made a case that the voices of the Opposition are being stifled. He had argued that there is no space for the Opposition to raise its voice within Parliament. Also, Gandhi had said that the Indian press is also not free to allow the space to the Opposition,. In nutshell, Gandhi had charged that Indian democracy is facing a moment of crisis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech at a public rally a day before the commencement of the second half of the Budget session revealed the BJP strategy to go after Gandhi lock stock and barrel, Modi had hit out at Gandhi for his remarks on Indian democracy. Deputy leader of the Lok Sabha and the leader of the Rajya Sabha Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal respectively led the charge against Gandhi on the opening day of the session on Monday, spelling out the condition that Gandhi must apologise for Parliament to function.
The Opposition has charged that the government has become the disruptor of Parliament. Gandhi, who had come to Parliament on Thursday, said that whatever he has to say will be spoken in Lok Sabha. However, Gandhi is least likely to get a chance to speak in the Lok Sabha to clarify his position, while Congress has made it clear that there exists no scope for an apology as sought by the BJP.
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