Opposition parties have stepped up their offensive by informally deciding to boycott all the meetings convened by the Centre, closing all options to end the stalemate in Parliament.
A day after the Congress and the NCP boycotted the business advisory committee in Lok Sabha, opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha did not attend a meeting convened by leader of the House Arun Jaitley to find a way out of the frequent disruptions.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reiterated his party’s stand that no discussion will be allowed if the BJP leaders involved in Lalitgate and Vyapam scam do not quit.
The Opposition’s prime targets are External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The Congress leadership has met leaders of other opposition parties to maintain the momentum in Parliament.
Scam troubles“The Prime Minister had assured the country that he will not tolerate corruption. His words should carry weight. But he speaks in air, he speaks whatever comes to his mind, his credibility is slowly declining. We asked the PM what he thinks about Lalit Modi. We got no answer. We got no answer on the Vyapam scam, no answer on Chhattisgarh and no answer on Sushma,” Rahul told reporters outside Parliament.
The Congress has decided not to tone down its position. “It is a do-or-die situation. The issues are such that if we tone down our position, we will get alienated further from the people,” said a senior Congress leader.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said what applies to government officers should apply to ministers as well.
“The PM had said that he is the ‘Pradhan Sevak’. Why should then the rules applicable to government officers and servants not be applicable?” he told reporters. “The Constitution mandates us as MPs the responsibility to make the Executive accountable and that cannot be done through debate because debate is not a substitute of investigation,” he added.
The Opposition maintained that there is no possibility of discussions until the PM demands the resignations of the leaders involved. “How can we go back from our positions? What will people think if we do not perform our duty as an opposition party?” asked Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.