PTI
NEW DELHI, JULY 20
With the Monsoon Session beginning tomorrow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to parties to utilise Parliament time for discussing all issues and said running both the Houses is a shared responsibility of all, even as he exhorted them to move forward on the contentious land bill.
At a meeting with leaders of all political parties here, he asked them to collectively move forward on issues discussed in the last session while keeping the country’s interest in mind.
With important legislations like the land bill, the GST bill and the real estate bill pending before Parliament, the government is seeking the support of all parties in their early passage.
The Monsoon Session that is likely to end on August 13, is expected to be a stormy affair with Congress and other parties giving indications to that effect. Congress and other opposition parties will raise the demand the removal of Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the wake of their alleged involvement in Lalitgate and Vyapam scam.
“Of course, it is the responsibility of the government to run the House and we have to take the initiative for it, but this responsibility has to be shared by all.
“It is time to move forward. All of us have to collectively move forward. The country’s interest is paramount. Certain issues discussed in the last session need to be taken forward,” the Prime Minister said at the meeting.
Quoting SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, Modi said, “It is time that we should move forward on the land bill issue, incorporating suggestions from all sides. We should move positively on this issue.”
He said the Monsoon Session was short and hence its time needed to be utilised for debating important issues for which the government was ready.
“There are many outside forums where various issues are discussed extensively. The Monsoon Session is short, hence the time of Parliament should be used for debating issues which are relevant and important,” he said.
The Prime Minister told the leaders that Parliament has a major significance and it should be utilised to discuss all issues as the government is ready to discuss all issues.
Leaders of Congress, JD(U), SP, BSP, RJD, AIADMK, DMK and Left parties, besides allies of NDA, participated in the meeting. There was no representative of Trinamool Congress at the meeting.
Congress had yesterday firmly put the onus on the government for the smooth running of Parliament by demanding a “minimum action” in removal of Swaraj, Raje and Chouhan even as BJP decided to vigorously counter the expected onslaught, setting the stage for a stormy session.
Mounting an offensive on the government, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the running of Parliament and passage of important bills will be “more easy” if BJP takes action against these leaders while it will also help the party in “correcting” its image which has taken a hit due to the scams.
After the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the government has nothing to hide, hesitate, worry or fear about.
He, however, dismissed the Vyapam scam as a “state issue”.
“Some of the issues raised by our Congress friends are state issues…Serious allegations have come out against various Chief Ministers of various parties,” Naidu said.
In the meeting, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad slammed the government on the Vyapam scam, asking whether the deaths of over 40 people allegedly related to it happened because of “ISI, terrorists or naxals”.
Talking separately, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “The government is not scared. There is absolutely no issue. These are baseless complaints and in order to rake them up, some documents are shown everytime.
“Now the order for a CBI inquiry has also come at the request of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister. BJP did not hesitate on it. Now CBI will do inquiry and we are ready for that.”
