Govt to reach out to Oppn to bring peace in House

Even as Parliament remained paralysed for 14th day on Thursday preventing even the no-confidence motions, two junior parliamentary affairs gave first signs of breaking the signs by approaching leaders of the agitating parties.

The government’s initiative comes just when nine more sittings are left in the session until April 6, a step taken after the Opposition accused it of deliberately not talking at all to end the impasse.

Vijay Goyal, who handles the government work in the Rajya Sabha, and his Lok Sabha counterpart Arjun Ram Meghwal told a press conference on their efforts after both the Houses were adjourned for the day.

Goyal said he has already met Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress and he will visit residences of the leaders of other parties disrupting the House daily in an effort to break the logjam, persuading them “to start discussion on their issues.”

On the Congress pressing daily for discussion on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, he said the government has more to tell the people than the Opposition. “Sad that opposition leaders debate outside and on TV channels but not in Parliament when the government is ready to discuss all issues in the two Houses,” Goyal said.

His counterpart in the Lok Sabha Meghwal said the Speaker had to adjourn the House without a discussion on the no-confidence notices for the fifth day since it was difficult for her to do the headcount to ascertain support for discussion due to ruckus and the members not in authorised seats.

The TDP and rival YSR Congress have been giving notices of no confidence since last Friday following the Centre’s refusal to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh and all opposition members are standing up every day when the Speaker tried the headcount and then adjourns the House.