NEW DELHI: The government-Opposition slanging match over a Parliament discussion on demonetisation continued on Sunday with the Centre rejecting the Congress demand for a debate on the issue under Rule 56, which entails voting, saying “the meaning of the debate will be lost if we get bogged down by rules and regulations”.
While stating that the government was ready for a discussion under Rule 193, which doesn’t entail voting, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “It (the Centre) is open to positive suggestions from the Opposition. On the first day of the session, we consented to a debate on the issue of demonetisation and black money without wasting any time. But on the second day, the Opposition, the Congress in particular, tried to run away from it,” he said. “We are ready for a debate on every issue. We are prepared to answer every question. But we want the Congress to participate in the discussion,” the minister said.
On the other hand, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the Narendra Modi government had announced the demonetisation of high-value currency notes without any preparation and the Opposition wanted a “serious” discussion on the issue under the rules that entailed voting. “The decision was taken in haste, without any preparation. This has hit people at the lower level. Sixty people have so far died in queues outside ATMs and banks,” he claimed. “It is merely a formality. The government is evading questions.”