All parties tell PM Parliament should run.
All parties tell PM Parliament should run.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University row is likely to cast a shadow over the coming Budget Session of Parliament as the Congress — at Tuesday’s meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek the cooperation of all parties to run both Houses smoothly — questioned the filing of sedition charges against JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar.
While all other parties are learnt to have assured the PM of their cooperation in running Parliament peacefully, the JNU controversy was the main topic of discussion at the meeting. The Congress and Left parties urged the Centre to rein in BJP leaders and those in constitutional posts who were “vitiating” the atmosphere in the country.
The meeting was the first of its kind called by Mr Modi after becoming Prime Minister. It was seen as an effort to reach out to political rivals and seek their help to run the coming Parliament session smoothly. The Budget Session is due to begin from February 23.
At the meeting, Mr Modi told the parliamentary leaders of all major parties: “I am not the Prime Minister of the BJP alone but (of) the entire country.” He expressed the hope that Parliament will function and assured the Opposition parties that the government will work to address their concerns. Parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu later said there was a general consensus that the Houses should run smoothly.
The Opposition leaders gave notice that they will raise issues like the JNU controversy, the constitutional crisis in Arunachal Pradesh and the suicide of a dalit scholar in Hyderabad Central University, as well as farmers’ issues. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Mr Naidu said the PM told the leaders that the government was open to discussion on all issues.
He shared the Opposition leaders’ concern over the use of terms like “anti-national”, but he also referred to the “Hitler” jibes targeting the Prime Minister, and urged all parties to show restraint.
Mr Naidu said all parties had spoken in one voice that Parliament should be allowed to function. “Frustration is rising among people due to the stalemate in Parliament... Issues are not being debated,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad made it clear his party “disassociates” with students who shouted slogans at JNU against India’s unity and its Constitution but insisted there was no proof of sedition against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. The Left parties concurred with him.
Mr Azad also accused the BJP leaders of “defaming” the party leadership with their “anti-national” jibes and said the government should restrain them. He told the media after the two-hour meeting that the atmosphere in the country had been vitiated since the BJP came to power and its government had taken no action against people responsible for it.
“His arrest on the sedition charge is unfair... Action should also have been taken against those who vitiated the country’s atmosphere. If people holding constitutional positions are vitiating the atmosphere, then it will find a reflection in Parliament. Had action been taken against them, then many things which we see today would not be happening,” the senior Congress leader said.
Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and finance minister Arun Jaitley explained the government’s position on the JNU row, and spoke about the slogans and posters on the controversial event, calling them highly objectionable. He said the implications of the JNU incident should be understood properly. He asked whether any political party could endorse the slogans raised at the so-called protest meeting in JNU and everyone should wait for the inquiry report on the matter.
The meeting also saw the Trinamul Congress pushing for passage of the GST Bill, Mr Naidu told reporters. But Mr Azad said the GST Bill was not discussed in the meeting.
An all-party meeting has been called on February 22, the day before the session starts, where the bills likely to be tabled and other related issues will be discussed.
The BJP has, meanwhile decided to launch a three-day nationwide “Jan Swabhiman Abhiyan” from Thursday to create awareness that the Indian Constitution must be respected by all and “separatist voices” are not included in the right to freedom of speech and expression. It is seen by many as an effort by the saffron party to keep up the momentum generated from the ongoing “nationalist versus anti-national” debate that has arisen out of the JNU row.
“This campaign is for national unity, integrity and progress. It will be a positive campaign,” said BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav.
