New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) The impasse in Parliament is likely to continue as the opposition parties have upped their ante to press for their demand for a JPC to probe the Hindenburg report on Adani while the government has raked up the issue of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statements in the UK.
The Congress has filed privilege notice against Union Minister and Leader of House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and both the parties do not want to end the matter.
To keep the opposition unity intact, parties will meet on Wednesday to derive a strategy and some of them are of view that they should march to the ED offices to keep the pressure on the government.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “The Modi govt’s continued refusal to even allow the combined Opposition to raise its legitimate demand for a JPC into the PM-linked Adani MagaMegaScam has resulted in an impasse in Parliament. This is the only issue. Anything else is a deliberate diversion by the PM and his colleagues”.
The opposition unity is also at test as the Trinamool Congress, for the second consecutive day, did not attend Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s meeting where 16 parties met and jointly demanded for JPC on the Adani issue.
Both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid protests by both treasury benches and opposition members.
In the Lok Sabha, the BJP sought Gandhi’s apology over his remarks on democracy during a speech which he delivered in London last week, while the opposition led by Congress, DMK, Left and Trinamool started shouting slogans, seeking JPC probe in the Adani issue.
The Congress MPs displayed placards showing some old remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and moved towards the Speaker’s podium.
This is the second consecutive day when no business could be transacted in Lok Sabha, ever since the Parliament reconvened on March 13 after a month-long break.
Rajya Sabha too was adjourned for the day amid noisy protests by both treasury benches and opposition members and Goyal said that Gandhi’s remarks had hurt the tenets of democracy and therefore he should apologise in Parliament for his remarks.
–IANS
miz/vd