Unrelenting on the issue of price rise, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday gave fresh notices for discussing it in both Houses of Parliament on Monday under rules that entail voting.
“We have given a notice in Lok Sabha under Rule 184 and in Rajya Sabha under Rule 168,” Deputy leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia said.
“We want a motion where sense of each House on the suffering of the people due to price rise can be reflected,” he said.
He said Parliament may remain paralysed on Monday if the opposition’s demand is not accepted.
The first week of the Monsoon session of Parliament remained disrupted with a united opposition creating uproar over the issue of price rise and demanding discussion under rules that include voting.
Taking a dig at the Government for “shying away” from a division of votes on price rise, Mr. Ahluwalia wondered why the UPA was afraid of voting.
“A division of votes in the two Houses would reveal which party stands where on this issue. The essence of Parliamentary democracy is that those having the numbers rule. They (Government) say we (the opposition) are in a minority but they are themselves not in favour of division,” he said.
Mr. Ahluwalia alleged that the hike in prices of petroleum products had affected the common man.
He claimed the Government was not doing enough to end the impasse in Parliament.
“The Government should make all efforts to end the stalemate. But, unfortunately it has not made any attempt,” he said.
Asked if the BJP was raking up the price rise issue to prevent a discussion on alleged involvement of former Gujarat Minister Amit Shah in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case and “misuse” of CBI, he said, “Are CPI (M), Lalu Prasad (RJD) and Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP) also doing the same? You can make any accusation against anybody. We are ready to discuss any issue.”
