New Delhi:
As Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other party leaders protested against the suspension of their lawmaker, BJP Parliamentary Party today accused it of being a "destructive" Opposition and passed a resolution against its "obstructionist and anti-development" policies.
On a day the Congress lawmakers led by Mrs Gandhi sat on a dharna to protest the Speaker's decision to suspend 25 of their lawmakers from Lok Sabha, the ruling party lashed out at Mrs Gandhi for calling it a "black day for democracy" and raked up the imposition of Emergency to criticise it.
With the main Opposition party unrelenting on its demand for the resignation of Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the BJP said there was "no basis" for such a demand and the Parliamentary Party stands with them.
"The Congress has abdicated the responsibilities of a constructive Opposition and is using its numerical strength in Parliament, especially in the Rajya Sabha, to adopt a negative strategy."
"The BJP Parliamentary party condemns the obstructionist, narrow and anti-development mindset of the Congress as it will have a serious and adverse influence in the long term on the country which is emerging as an important economic power in the world," said the resolution passed in the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and most of his ministerial colleagues.
The Congress has become a "destructive" Opposition party, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters after the meeting.
The government had made "honest" efforts for the smooth conduct of the Monsoon Session, the BJP meet said and accused the Congress of making a "U-turn" after initially agreeing to a debate on the Vyapam and Lalit Modi issues.
The Congress refused to attend a meeting called by Finance Minister and Leader of Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and also declined the government's proposal for an all-party meet on July 31, the resolution said, accusing the Opposition party of working with a "narrow political agenda".
The BJP resolution charged the Congress with deliberately obstructing the Modi government's attempts for the country's resurgence and said the Opposition party had been left "stunned" at Parliament's productivity in the previous sessions.
"A stunned Congress has prepared a policy to stop necessary economic reforms aimed at reviving the economy and obstruct other welfare and development policies of the government. This policy has become its political strategy which is being executed with more power and commitment by Congress in the monsoon session," it said.
It said Prime Minister Modi's "increasing popularity" has become a "pain in the eye" of the Congress.
"This is unfortunate that a party with 130 years of history and which has ruled the country for over five decades has not been able to get over its shameful loss in 2014. It has not been able to digest the full majoirty given to Narendra Modi by people," it said.
On the Congress demand for the resignation of Ms Swaraj, Ms Raje and Mr Chouhan, it said there is no basis for it.
"In the same way there is no ground for the resignation of Ms Raje and Mr Chouhan and the BJP Parliamentary Party is standing by them," the resolution, proposed by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and passed at the meeting, said.
It also defended Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's decision yesterday to suspend 25 Congress members, saying it was done under "dire" circumstances as they exhibited disrespect to the Chair and ignored her requests for not carrying placards.
It said the BJP Parliamentary Party was surprised that Sonia Gandhi had called it a black day for democracy.
"This is unfortunate that the Congress party which trampled the democracy in 1975 by imposing Emergency and snatched away the citizen's liberty is making such unfounded claims," it said, citing expulsion of 63 Opposition members from the House on March 15, 1989 over their demand that Justice Thakkar commission report on Indira Gandhi's assassination be tabled.
The parliamentary party passed another resolution hailing the "historic" Naga peace accord, and said it was long-awaited and would usher in an era of peace and security in the north-east region.
It also took note of the efforts of successive governments which "crystalised" under the present dispensation.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke about the accord, signed yesterday, and his ministerial colleague Nirmala Sitharaman proposed it, Mr Naqvi said.
He said Mr Jaitley spoke about the key reform bills like Goods and Services Tax or GST while Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu highlighted the "negative" Congress politics which has resulted in a washout of the Monsoon Session so far.
"The Congress is insulting the people's mandate. The Modi government will be unaffected by it and continue to walk on its development path," Mr Naqvi said.