A group of opposition parties on Tuesday said the government was not keen on ensuring smooth functioning of Parliament and had not made any efforts to end the ongoing impasse, with the Congress alleging a 'conspiracy' behind it aimed at avoiding discussion on crucial issues including bank scams.
Leaders of 10 opposition parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday and discussed the matter.
They alleged that the government was not interested in running Parliament and wanted to 'bypass' legislative scrutiny.
Tuesday was the 12th day in a row that Parliament did not functioned and the current stalemate has entered the third week.
Azad said while opposition parties wanted various issues of national importance to be discussed in Parliament, the government showed no inclination of reaching out to the opposition to resolve the current impasse.
The opposition leaders said that they wanted to discuss the issues of bank scams, grant of special status to Andhra Pradesh and the Cauvery water sharing, but it seemed that the government was not ready for a debate on these issues.
Leaders of a total of 10 opposition parties were present during the meeting in Azad's chamber on Tuesday. These included the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Communist Party of India, CPI-Marxist and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
"The entire opposition holds that the government is responsible for the impasse and for not taking any interest in the functioning of Parliament. So, they are running away from the issues. The government is running away from debate.
"They, as a matter of fact, do not want to discuss the issues; they are very scared of the bank scam. They are very much scared. They know that they have no face to face the public of India and are scared to discuss this issue on the floor of House. They are not interested in running or in functioning of the House," Azad told reporters.
Chief Whip of the Congress in Lok Sabha Jytiraditya Scindia said, "...this is a conspiracy by the government to ensure that Parliament does not function."
He said there are only two parties now in the well and even the Telugu Desam Party and the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress are now back to their seats demanding a discussion on the 'no confidence motion'.
"Why is the government not coming ahead...why is it that when the finance bill can be passed in the din and a no confidence motion cannot be discussed," he said.
Azad said right through the opposition wants Parliament - both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to function, and also the issues that the opposition wants to discuss.
"It is most unfortnate that no efforts whatsoever have been made by the government for the first time. Despite the budget session being so important, no senior minister has approached the opposition parties. It seems the government is not interested in functioning of Parliament," he said.
Azad said the unanimous stand taken by the opposition parties was conveyed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, who was requested that on behalf of the entire opposition, he be allowed to speak in the House.
CPI leader D Raja after the meeting said it was the primary responsibility of the government to see that Parliament functions, but it had shown no keenness to transact any business in Parliament.
"Parliament is undermined. Bypassing Parliament, the government wants to function. They can discuss, what is the problem. It is a question of rules, which can be negotiated. There is no serious attempt by the Government to reach out to the opposition and find a solution to end the current impasse in Parliament," Raja said.
The Left and the TMC, who are supporting the no-confidence motion brought in by the YSR Congress and the TDP, held the Bharatiya Janata Party responsible for not letting the House run properly.
"The rules can not be selectively implied. If the House is not in order, whose responsibility is it? Din is been orchestrated by the government. Whenever the government wants, they go silent," CPI (M) leader Mohammad Salim said.
The TMC accused the government of putting up lame excuses for not holding discussions on the no-confidence motion.
"The Speaker is duty-bound to take up the no-confidence motion, whether the House is in order or not. There is no rule saying that motion can not be taken up if the House is not in order," TMC leader Derek O'Brien told reporters.
The TMC also attacked the parliamentary affairs minister for not been able to bring the House to order.
"We have not received a single phone call from him or the ruling party. There is no serious attempt to reach out to the opposition. It is his responsibility to run the House," O' Brien said.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Tuesday said the government would not curtail the ongoing Parliament session and that it was ready to discuss all the issues, including the no-confidence motion against it.
At the same time, he added that the government was determined to go ahead with the key bills, including the one on triple talaq and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018.
Asked by reporters if Parliament would be adjourned sine dine, Kumar said, "No, the House will function as per the schedule till April 6. We want to transact all the key bills. The Congress is opposing on all issues."
He added that the government had been telling the Opposition, including the Congress, since day one that it was ready to discuss all the matters, including the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, special package to Andhra Pradesh, Cauvery river water dispute and the no-confidence motion.
"We are ready to discuss all the issues. We are waiting for both the Houses to function properly. We are ready to reply on all the issues," Kumar said.
The government was even ready for a discussion on the no-confidence motion of the TDP and YSR Congress against it, the minister said, adding, "We are not worried as we are a majority government. We have support within and outside Parliament."
