Oppn parties want debate on other issues

NEW DELHI: On Monday morning, a 15-party meeting exposed chinks in the Opposition armour but by evening, a larger Opposition unity emerged around the Congress after the latter’s 25 MPs faced suspension for a week from Lok Sabha.

As the BJP and the Congress sparred with each other over demand of resignation and corruption charges against ministers, many Opposition parties pressed for a debate on various other issues.

Trinamool’s Sudip Bandopadhyay alleged that a “got-up” match between the BJP and the Congress is not allowing his party to raise key issues like the flood situation in West Bengal. JD(U) and SP, both parties demanded that a debate on caste census is urgently required. HD Devegowda’s JD(S) wanted a debate on agrarian crisis.

Later, parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu said, “The Congress and the Left were completely isolated in the meeting. All other Opposition parties felt that the House should run and wanted to raise important issues.”

The government had called 15 parties which has more than 8 MPs in parliament to strive for an end to the logjam. Leader of the Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad, however, made it clear at the outset that unless the tainted ministers resign, discussions can’t take place.

The government managers, however, maintained that foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has done no wrong and the Parliament doesn’t have any authority to take action against Vasundhara Raje or Madhya Pradesh CM.