No sign of Parliament impasse ending

Whether the proposals are tangible or not would be decided at an all-party meeting that has been called at the initiative of the government on Monday.

“It (the three BJP leaders’ fate) should be on the agenda for the discussions”, said Mr. Azad, emphasising that the Congress was keen on the passage of important Bills in the current session of Parliament, which has faced disruptions for the last two weeks.

The main opposition party has demanded that Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Raje resign for their alleged role in Lalit Modi controversy and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Chouhan quit over the Vyapam scam.

The government, despite the Gurdaspur attack, is so far on track insofar as the NSA level talks with Pakistan are concerned. “The government should do its duty”, Kharge said.

Sharma’s remarks are significant as government had planned an all party meeting earlier in the day but it was postponed after the Congress had reportedly expressed inability to attend it due to preoccupation with other meetings.

Leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of not reaching out to the Opposition and TMC leader Sudip Bandhyopadhyay charged it with harbouring a “very undemocratic” attitude.

“The government which released dreaded militants and flew them to Afghanistan should not lecture us on terrorism”, Azad said in an apparent reference to the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh flying to Kandahar accompanied by militants who were freed in the wake of the IC-814 hijacking in December, 1999. The tradition you have set, we are following that.

Naqvi reiterated that the government was ready for a discussion on any issue. You can not reach out to individual political parties and try to woo them.

Meanwhile, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is expected to lay out the party’s strategy in Parliament on Monday, ahead of an all-party meet called by the government to end the deadlock that has hit legislative work during what has been a rocky Monsoon Session.

This will be the first meeting of the CPP general body during the Monsoon Session.

“We are not interested in a mere photo-op, tea and sandwiches”.

Citing the incident in which she had pulled up Chowdhury after he banged his placard on her table, she said she saw several young people in the visitor’s gallery and felt bad about the impression of Parliament they would carry in their mind.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said: “We are within our rights to bring motions and demand action”.