New Delhi, Feb. 20: The rise in prices of essential commodities will dominate the Budget Session of Parliament beginning Monday. While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the government is ready to discuss all issues in Parliament, Leader of the
Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded a discussion on price rise on Tuesday, the first working day of the Budget Session. She was optimistic of issue-based floor coordination between Opposition and non-UPA parties.
If the Opposition set the tone of the session by prioritising issues, the government remained non-committal. However, it has made it clear that it is ready to discuss any issue the Opposition wants to raise in Parliament.
Parliament proceedings would be smooth if the government honours the feelings of the Opposition on issues concerning the people and agrees to a structured debate: this was the message the Opposition gave the government at a meeting of floor leaders called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar here on Saturday.
After the meeting, Dr Manmohan Singh told reporters, "We are ready to discuss all issues in Parliament." He was responding to questions when they drew his attention to the BJP seeking a clarification on the government’s move on talks between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.
Price rise, internal security and the India-Pakistan talks are the three issues on which the Opposition plans to corner the Centre this session because the government has been defensive on these issues even after its electoral victory.
The stand of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal will be important on the floor of Parliament because they back the government from outside. According to UPA managers, these parties may raise issues and criticise the government but cannot withdraw support. The Left, BJD and TDP maintain equal distance from the Congress and the BJP.
"The entire Opposition agreed that there should be an immediate discussion on price rise on February 23, the first working day. If the government agrees, there will not be any disruption and we can have a proper discussion," Ms Swaraj said after the two-hour meet. She added that her party (the BJP) would also raise issues like Maoist violence, the Ranganath Misra Commission report, India-Pakistan talks and Justice Sageer Ahmed’s report on Jammu and Kashmir autonomy.
Senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said if the government did not yield to the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on price rise on the first working day "we will move an adjournment motion". He said the Left would also raise issues like the fertiliser price hike and the plight of unorganised sector workers.
Trinamul Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay and the DMK’s T.K.S. Elangovan also wanted the price situation discussed with the latter also seeking a comprehensive mechanism to amend laws to check the upward price spiral.
Mr Bandopadhyay, whose party is at loggerheads with the ruling CPI(M) in West Bengal, sought a discussion on political violence in that state, saying it should not be prevented on the grounds that law and order is a state subject.
Mr Elangovan said the Centre should not bring any legislation in this session on education, which is a state subject.
TDP leader Nama Nageshwara Rao also wanted a debate on the price issue, apart from unemployment, fertiliser prices and farmers problems and "doubts" about the functioning of electronic voting machines. Asked whether they would raise the Telangana issue, he said, "We would like to know what the national policy is on further division of states."
The Speaker said all parties have agreed to extend cooperation for the smooth running of the session, which is to have 35 sittings. Asked about changes in rules to prevent the collapse of Question Hour, Ms Kumar said the rules committee has approved amendments to ensure uninterrupted proceedings.
She said if Question Hour has to be suspended during its normal time of 11 am to 12 noon for any reason, it would be the Speaker’s discretion to allow it to be held any time later the same day. "Some other rules have also been changed," she said.
Meanwhile, AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai said his party would demand sufficient time for a discussion on price rise and allocation of more time to debate farmers’ problems, particularly those of sugarcane cultivators. He said a suggestion should be given to the Election Commission to ensure that byelections are not held whenever Parliament or the state Assemblies are in session as most of the MPs and MLAs get busy campaigning for their parties.
Age Correspondent