I hope Opposition will see reason: Manmohan

“I am very sad Parliament has not been allowed to function”

December 11, 2010 05:31 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 08:57 pm IST - Berlin

BREAKS SILENCE: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at the Tegel Military Airport in Berlin on Saturday

BREAKS SILENCE: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at the Tegel Military Airport in Berlin on Saturday

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday broke his silence on the logjam in Parliament over the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scandal.

“I am very sad that Parliament has not been allowed to function. We have, again and again, told the Opposition that existing institutional mechanisms can take care of whatever a JPC can do. I hope the Opposition will see reason,” Dr. Singh said during an informal talk with journalists on board a special flight from Brussels to Berlin on a chilly winter morning here.

Initially when asked when he would break his silence on the issue that has practically disrupted Parliament the whole of this winter session, Dr. Singh's response was that he would do so “in due course.” But immediately, he said he was sad that Parliament was not being allowed to function.

Asked what the government strategy would be if the Opposition protests spilled into the budget session in February next year, the Prime Minister expressed his apprehension: “I am worried about the future of the parliamentary system…I do hope reason will prevail [and the Opposition will not do that].”

He was also asked why he chose to make this visit — to Brussels for the India-European Union Summit on Friday, Berlin on Saturday for a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel — when Parliament was in session. His response was that first, “India would not be taken seriously if we fail to keep our commitments” on dates fixed for important bilateral and multilateral meetings, and two, anyway, not much was happening. “What is happening there [in Parliament] anyway?”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.