NEW DELHI: Even while the Parliament remained in a gridlock for eight days in a row, the government is expecting a breakthrough in the impasse soon, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to attend the proceedings of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. NDA floor managers and a section of the Opposition claimed that the key to unlock the Parliamentary gridlock lies with the Lok Sabha, and a long speech of the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi through an intervention is on the card.
Proceedings of both the Houses of the Parliament were marred with ruckus even while the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely introduced “The Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016” at 2 pm amidst pandemonium in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to tax the undisclosed amounts through “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme”. After repeated adjournments, both the Houses were adjourned for the day.
“The Aakrosh Diwas (protest day) is now over. The Opposition has got the measure of their street power on the issue of demonetization. They want Rahul Gandhi to make a long speech in the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister will also make an intervention and thereby explain the reasons behind the decision on demonetization. The deadlock in the Parliament will last only a few days more,” sources in the government said.
The Congress and the Trinamool Congress leaders have also been learnt to have held parleys and discussed ways to “climb down” for the obstructionist position. “The government will not agree with debate on demonetization under Rule 56 with adjournment and voting. The BJD floor leader in the Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahatab has shown the way by suggesting that the debate could be held under the Rule 184 with voting but without an adjournment. Mahatab’s formula could be the possible way out,” said a senior TMC leader.
Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the Prime Minister would speak if the House takes up debate on demonetization. Singh was responding to the common demand of the Congress, TMC and Samajwadi Party for debate under Rule 56 along with the presence of the Prime Minister in the House.
The clear indication of resolution of the impasse came from the floor leader of the TMC in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who argued that the Parliament should resume normal functions, as “what else the House is for”. However, the Opposition members also stated that the onus on resolution of the impasse lied with the government.
Meanwhile, there was a brief normalcy in both the Houses when the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha condoled the death of the Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Lader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjuna Kharge in the Lok Sabha lamented that the demonetization has led to chaos and suffering and people are in deep anguish due to hardship. Both the Houses witnessed the Opposition MPs in the well of the Houses raising slogans against the demonetization and the Prime Minister.