Parliament logjam: PM Modi calls all-party meet, Sonia Gandhi hardens stand
With half of the Monsoon session virtually washed out, the Centre said the Congress should debate on issues concerning Vasundhara Raje and Sushma Swaraj.
Hoping to end the deadlock in Parliament, the Narendra Modi government on Monday called for an all-party meeting even as the opposition Congress accused the Prime Minister of a "deafening silence" on the Lalit Modi controversy and the Vyapam scam - an indication that the logjam in Monsoon session will continue. Modi met his top ministers in Parliament before the meeting to chalk out his strategy to prevent a washout of the session.
There is no let up in the Congress attack on the government on the Lalit Modi and Vyapam controversies, with Sonia continuing to demand the removal of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan and Madhya Chief Ministers, Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan respectively.Meanwhile, the government and the BJP are giving no indication of accepting the demand for the resignations of the three top leaders.
Also read: Blame Sonia Gandhi if monsoon session is washed out: BJP
While the Opposition including the Congress and the Left parties have taken a line of "no resignation, no discussion", BJP leaders and ministers are making it loud and clear that there will be no resignation and government is not going to "oblige" the Opposition.
Government has offered a reply by External Affairs Minister Swaraj in Parliament and is ready for a discussion on Lalit Modi controversy but dubbed the Vyapam scam a state issue. With Opposition not relenting, the ministers have repeatedly accused them of "running away" from a debate.
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.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has made it clear that the all-party meeting should be based on what action is taken against Swaraj, Raje and Chouhan. "It (the three BJP leaders' fate) should be on the agenda for the discussions," Azad has said.
Congress has also made it clear that its participation in an all-party meeting to break the deadlock depended on a "tangible" proposal from the Prime Minister on the Opposition's demands.