New Delhi, July 20: With the Congress insisting on the resignation of ‘scam-tainted’ ministers and the government refusing to buckle Monday, the monsoon session of parliament that starts Tuesday is most likely to be stormy.
To add to the government’s woes, opposition parties also appear to be in no mood to compromise vis-a-vis the controversial land bill on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday called for a national consensus.
The indications of the looming showdown in parliament emerged Monday after an all-party meeting convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu when the government ruled out the resignation of anyone.
“The question of resignation does not arise. No one has done anything illegal or immoral,” Naidu said here. “There is no question of accepting any ultimatum from anybody.
At the meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad pressed for the resignation of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj as well as Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje of Rajasthan and Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh.
Azad, who heads the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said he hoped Modi would announce the resignations of “scam-accused ministers” before Tuesday. “Passing the bills would (then) become very easy,” Azad said.
The Congress has been seeking the resignations of Sushma Swaraj and Raje over their alleged links with former IPL chief Lalit Modi, and of Chouhan over the Vyapam recruitment scam. Naidu rejected the Congress demand.
“Nobody can dictate terms to parliament. Parliament is sovereign,” he said. “We are ready to discuss issues that the opposition wants to raise.”
The BJP also vowed to raise the issue of an international firm allegedly bribing a minister and government officials in Goa and sought a CBI probe.
Earlier, Modi called upon all political parties to move forward on the land acquisition bill that has created a major national divide. “All party leaders should move forward on the bill,” he said. The opposition has slammed the bill as an attempt to acquire land for industrial houses. The government has denied the charge. IANS
