The Left and three other Opposition parties on Tuesday insisted that the government agree to discuss in Parliament, issues such as price rise and corruption, under rules that permit voting, a move that would commit the government to act.
“There should not be a discussion on these burning issues without any conclusion. We are insisting on a debate under rules that entail voting because we want to make the government accountable. The pressure of voting itself will make the government commit itself to taking concrete steps to check spiralling prices,” Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury told a joint press conference attended by leaders of three other Left parties, the All India Anna Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam, the Biju Janata Dal and the Telugu Desam Party.
Leaders of these parties rejected suggestions that both Houses adopt a unanimous resolution on the ground that a similar approach last year asking the government to take necessary steps to protect the people made no difference to the situation on the ground.
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Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta sought to know why the government was shying away from accepting a debate under an adjournment motion moved by the Left and other non-BJP Opposition parties.
“The Prime Minister is not acting and courts are running the country. We want to restore the credibility of Parliament and the political system,” he said.
M. Thambi Durai (AIADMK) said the parties disfavoured discussion on price rise without any voting. He said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was so concerned about its impact on the poor that the first decision of the new Tamil Nadu government was to introduce a scheme of free rice distribution.
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Nama Nageswara Rao (TDP) charged that the UPA government “is doing business with common people” by increasing prices of petrol 21 times since it came to power, while Arjun Charan Sethi (BJD) said the government came promising to represent the interests of the common man but did everything against it.