The government’s chief crisis manager, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, is in continuous parleys with the Opposition to break the ongoing logjam in Parliament, warning that crucial legislation like the Lokpal Bill, Right to Food Bill, key economic measures and action on issues like Telangana cannot proceed if the Houses are not allowed to function.
Interestingly, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare also appears to have joined the government in trying to persuade the BJP to let Parliament function as the government is ready with the Lokpal Bill and that too would otherwise get stuck.
The government made it clear there will be “no compromise” over home minister P. Chidambaram, now being boycotted by the BJP in Parliament over his alleged role in the 2G scam. Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said the BJP’s action was “yet another move to mislead the people of the country”.
With the BJP and the Left both planning to move adjournment motions on Thursday over black money and prices, the top Congress leadership, including ministers, met at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence on Wednesday evening to discuss strategy. Later in the night Mr Mukherjee, aided by parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Rajiv Shukla, managed to convince the BJP to modify the language of its motion on black money so that there was no “censure” of the government. The government then accepted the motion. On prices, a discussion will be held under Rule 193 (without voting).
Team Anna, meanwhile, is getting restless over the Lokpal Bill’s passage, and fears if this doesn’t happen in the Winter Session the entire anti-corruption movement might fizzle out. It knows it cannot blame the government for this as it is the BJP that is not letting Parliament function.