Govt and Oppn hold talks to break RS logjam over PM’s comments

Negotiations are on between the government and the Congress to break the logjam in the Rajya Sabha over the opposition’s demand for an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial remarks about his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s meeting with Pakistani leaders during the Gujarat election campaign.

Congress sources said the leader of the House, Arun Jaitley, discussed over the phone and in person, possible solutions with the leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad over the weekend.

The sources said there was a possibility of a meeting between Jaitley and Azad in the presence of Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday morning to resolve the deadlock.

They said the government is working on different options and one of them is to make a statement in the House that would praise Singh and clear the air about his meeting with Pakistani leaders. The PM could be present in the House at the time, they said.

The Congress has asked all its members to be present in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The party has been demanding the PM’s clarification over his remarks. Azad had maintained on Friday that the PM should come to the House and clarify his charge that Singh had “conspired with Pakistan” to influence the outcome of the Gujarat elections.

On Friday, both the BJP and the Congress-led opposition agreed to form a panel following the intervention of Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

He had urged both the sides to end the stalemate.