Logjam continues

New Delhi: The Union government on Sunday charged the Opposition with "negativism" and "obstructionism" while the Congress hit back by questioning the sincerity of the ruling side to break the impasse in Parliament, a day before the all-party meeting on the issue.

With half of the monsoon session virtually washed out, the government said the “honourable exit” for the Congress would be to have a debate on the issue concerning External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's “help” to Lalit Modi.

“Centre hopes to resolve the impasse at the all-party meeting to pave the way for discussion on issues raised by the Opposition,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi can also intervene during the discussions, if required.

“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. “We are ready to discuss any issue at any length... Government is always ready to walk the extra mile to accommodate views of the opposition, if their request is fair,” he said.

Asked if Prime Minister Modi will intervene during discussions, Naidu said,"...Let me hear from them (opposition parties including Congress) instead of going by media reports and all. If there is a debate, if there is a discussion, and if it warrants, the Prime Minister can intervene, always. He has intervened earlier also."

Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who addressed a press conference at the BJP headquarters, however, made it clear that the Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, in which Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is under attack, cannot be discussed at all as it concerns a state.

The government has convened an all-party meeting on Monday to discuss ways to end the stalemate in Parliament. Attacking the Congress, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the party may be upset with the government for "political reasons" but it must "accept and seriously introspect" that "negativism" and its "obstructionist tendencies" would hurt the country and the economy.

His attack in a facebook post came in the context of the ambitious Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill which is among the reform measures stuck as Parliament is unable to function because of relentless Opposition demand for resignation of Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Lalit Modi and ouster of Chouhan over Vyapam scam.

Reacting sharply, Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "the unwarranted, uncharitable and provocative statement by the Finance Minister and the BJP, accusing the Congress of disruption makes it abundantly clear that the government is neither serious nor sincere in breaking the deadlock in Parliament."

"The blame of Parliament's not functioning lies squarely with the Prime Minister for his arrogance and obduracy," Sharma said in a statement. The Congress leader said it was "ironical that Arun Jaitley is asking the Congress to reflect whereas as per the government's own claim is that the Parliament has transacted more business in the last one year as compared to the previous 10 years.

"The credit for the Parliament work and clearing important legislative work in the last one year belongs to the responsible and mature Opposition whereas the blame for the derailment of the legislative business in the previous 10 long years lies with the BJP."