BJP snubs UPA on extending Monsoon Session

The BJP has refused to oblige the Congress-led UPA government on extending the Monsoon Session of Parliament beyond September 6, arguing that it was not their duty to run the House and pass important legislations.

The Union Ministers on Wednesday were seen lobbying with the Opposition leaders to get their important legislations passed in the remaining two days left for the session. While Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram was lucky to get the Pensions Bill passed in Lok Sabha and Jairam Ramesh was equally fortunate to clear the Land Acquisition Bill in Rajya Sabha, Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal was still keeping his fingers crossed on getting the Judges Accountability Bill passed in the Upper House.

Keeping the government on tenterhooks, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was categorical that Parliament Session will not be extended, while Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath remained evasive. “Let us see,” was his reply, when asked whether the Monsoon Session would be extended, trying hard to bring the Opposition on the same page.

Sources stated that there was altercation between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday, when the former had called the BJP leaders at his residence, with both of them blaming the other for the failure to run the House. Sushma Swaraj recounted several instances to the Prime Minister when she and NDA Working Chairman L K Advani were not given the opportunity by the Speaker to make their submissions in the House, while the rest were allowed to speak.

Sushma Swaraj said that it was due to their cooperation that the UPA government had succeeded in passing important legislations. Contesting the statement of the Prime Minister that the BJP had paralysed the Monsoon Session, she said that it was the Congress that had stalled the Lok Sabha by encouraging their MPs from Seemandhra to raise slogans against the formation of Telangana. She said that if it was the decision of the BJP, they would not have allowed important Bills to be passed in the Rajya Sabha, as well, when the Lok Sabha was not functioning. Instead, eight legislations were passed in the Upper House, when the Lower House was paralysed due to the disruptions caused by TDP and Congress MPs from Seemandhra.

At one stage, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought the help of the BJP leadership by giving them the list of important legislations, Sushma Swaraj refused to go through the list.

Interestingly, when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath tried to extract a promise from her, in front of the Prime Minister, that they will have a meeting at the Speaker’s chamber the next day, Sushma Swaraj refused. Finally, both Kamal Nath and P Chidambaram came to NDA Working Chairman L K Advani’s chamber on Wednesday morning, where senior party leaders from BJP were also present. It was there that the two Union Ministers pacified them and made them to agree to get important Bills passed. As per the agreement, the Land Acquisition Bill and the Pensions Bill will be passed in the Rajya Sabha in the next two days. The Pensions Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Since there is no Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting slated in the next two days, the Opposition is free to take a call on any of the Bills.