Parliament deadlock: BJP says blame Sonia if Monsoon Session washed out, calls Congress 'confused'

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday criticised the Congress for its 'confused' stand in the Parliament.

"The Congress today seems to want every debate outside rather than in the Parliament. Whether it's an issue as important and as critical as that which concerns national security or whether it is talking about a Bill like the GST," Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a media briefing at the BJP headquarters here.

"It is just the confused Congress , I say confused because you may have observed that in the way they take stand or they express their position in the Parliament, their position has kept changing," she added.

With Congress insisting that the resignation of Union minister Sushma Swaraj be part of tomorrow's all-party meet to end logjam in Parliament, the BJP today hit back saying the opposition party has pushed itself "against the wall" by its demand and the honourable exit for it would be have a debate in the House on the Lalit Modi issue.

The ruling party also sought to drive a wedge in the opposition unity by claiming that while Congress is disrupting Parliamentary proceedings, other opposition parties are looking forward to a debate on important issues on the floor of the House.

Niramala Sitharaman further claimed that Congress has put itself in an "untenable position" and has "pushed itself against the wall" by demanding resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje over Lalit Modi controversy, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan over Vyapam scam.

She said the "honourable exit" for the Congress would be to have a debate on the issue in Parliament.

Taking on Sonia Gandhi, the BJP leader said Congress parliamentarians were violating the "basic courtesies of the house with great impunity" right under the nose of the Congress president.

"If this session gets washed out, Sonia Gandhi will have to take the blame," she said.

The BJP leader further said that if the opposition wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on some issue, they must begin a debate, and the prime minister may intervene.

"There have been five instances in the last one year when the prime minister (Modi) has spoken on important issues. He has intervened as and when critical debates have taken place," she said.

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also slammed Congress and other rival parties over repeated disruptions in Parliament and said the Centre is ready to accommodate view of the Opposition if their request is fair.

Appealing to the Opposition not to indulge in a blame-game, Naidu expressed hope that the issues would be resolved at an all-party meeting called tomorrow.

"I appeal to Congress please do not hurt the interest of the country. Let us not indulge in a blame game. Come to Parliament, let us discuss it.

"Tomorrow I have called for an all-party meeting and I hope the meeting will be fruitful and we will be able to resolve the issues and then move forward," he said.

However, backing party colleagues Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje who are under fire over the Lalit Modi issue, he said, "My (BJP) Minister Sushma Swaraj is one of the most dynamic, and also effective minister and is doing great job. She has not done anything wrong... Nothing illegal and nothing immoral has been done by either Swaraj or even Vasundhara Raje, who was not even Rajasthan Chief Minister at that time."

The monsoon session of parliament, that began on July 21, has so far not been able to transact any major business due to repeated adjournments. It is scheduled to last till August 13.

Some opposition parties, led by the Congress, have been creating ruckus over alleged help extended to former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, and on the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh in which over 40 people have died under mysterious circumstances and the Supreme Court has handed over the probe to the CBI.

The Congress party is demanding the resignations of Swaraj, Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan before allowing parliament to function smoothly.

(With Agency inputs)