Champion of ‘Mann ki Baat’ retreats to ‘maun-vrat’: Sonia on Modi

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharma said Parliament is not functioning because of his “arrogance and obduracy” as he has refused to end his “maun vrat” (vow of silence) on the issue.

Recalling the BJP’s promise of clean and good governance in the run up to Lok Sabha elections last year, Scindia said it has turned out to be “hollow” in the wake of corruption scandals surrounding the saffron party.

In the current government agenda, a crucial 11 bills are pending in parliament among which 9 new bills to be introduced and one to be taken up for consideration and passing.

Congress president tagged the Prime Minister as a “master re-packager”. Jaitley later said, “Her reply caused desperation in Congress. That’s why the opposition party wanted her statement expunged from records”, he said. “Government is always ready to walk the extra mile to accommodate views of the opposition, if their request is fair”, he said.

Scribes covering Parliament were surprised to find a normally sanguine Union Minister, known for holding regular media darbars, ranting and raving against a newspaper for a headline that he saw as being supportive of Yakub Memon, just a day after the latter’s execution.

He made the remarks while agitating with party MPs in Parliament House complex in protest against suspension of its 25 members from the Lok Sabha. Making clear that her party won’t pipe down from the Lamo and Vyapam protests and demands, she said, “the BJP is the author of “resign now, debate later” principle which it had used in at least five occasions during the UPA rule”. “In the interest of the country, the Congress should cooperate in (normal) functioning of parliament”, he said.

Dubbing the Congress confused, Sitharaman said: “Earlier they demanded a debate on the Lalit Modi issue, and when the government agreed to do so, they headed for the resignations of concerned BJP leaders, saying they would participate in a debate only after the resignations came in”. The government says there will be no resignations.

While Congress had the full backing of JD(U) and Left parties, Trinamool Congress, BJD, SP DMK and some other parties were keen that Parliament fuctioned. “On the one hand, he never misses an opportunity to claim the moral high ground on transparency, integrity and accountability”, said Gandhi, while speaking at the party parliamentary meeting. Or perhaps we should ask: “is this the Modi model-benefit the few at the expense of the many leaving the vulnerable to fend for themselves”, she said. The ensuing uproar again brought out what have become the nearly irreconcilable differences between the treasury benches and the opposition, with the two weeks of the monsoon session of Parliament passing without any business being transacted.