Chennai: BJP on Thursday charged the Congress-led
UPA Government with `deliberately delaying` the monsoon
session of Parliament, saying it was `shying away` from the
forum where issues like Lokpal should be discusssed.
The BJP was not taken into confidence when the government
decided to postpone the monsoon session to August, Leader of
the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.
"We have come to know that govt has convened the monsoon
session of Parliament in August. It is a delayed session,"
the senior BJP leader told reporters here.
Swaraj said while there were "mass agitations" on the one
side on the Jan Lokpal issue, the actual forum where such
issues had to be discussed, the Parliament, had not been
convened.
"Even during the Ramlila ground incident (where agitating
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters were removed from the
ground by the Delhi police), we had met the President seeking
a sepcial session of Parliament. Even the routine monsoon
session which is held in July has been postponed to August.
The Government is shying away from Parliament, this delay is
deliberate," she said.
Instead of convening a session, the government is seeking
views on issues through letters and is "shying away," from
Parliament which is the collective forum of wisdom, she said.
"This delay is deliberate as the Principal opposition
party (BJP) was not taken into confidence. We were given the
impression that the session would be held from July 18.
When they changed it, courtesy demanded that they consult
us, or at least inform ," she said adding this was the first
time that the opposition party was not consulted.
They had come to know from news channels about the
monsoon session starting on August 1, she said.
On the issue of the alleged bugging of Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee`s office, Swaraj said the BJP had already
termed it "India`s watergate" and demanded a thorough probe.
She also said issues such as phone-tapping were "very
serious" and that her party had always opposed such measures.
On the issue of bringing the Prime Minister under the
Lokpal`s ambit, a demand which has put the government and Anna
Hazare-led civil society at loggerheads, she said the BJP will
comment on it after seeing the draft.
"When the Finance Minister wrote a letter to our national
President (Nitin Gandkari), he wrote back saying first the
draft should be given. We will see the provisions and decide
on supporting or opposing. That is why we say convene
Parliament and put both the drafts before it," she said.
On the Women`s Reservation Bill, she assured her party`s
support to the government in the Lok Sabha.
Referring to the recent arrest of 23 Indian fishermen by
Sri Lankan Navy, she said India must tell the island nation
clearly that this is not acceptable.
Commenting on the current spate of rapes and murders in
Uttar Pradesh, she said the law and order situation there was
"dismal" and that the BJP would raise the issue.
She also said the Murli Manohar Joshi-led Public Accounts
Committee had "indicted" Home Minister P Chidambaram on the 2G
spectrum issue (for his alleged role as the then finance
minister).
PTI
