NEW DELHI: With Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s discussion with leaders of various parties failing to find a meeting ground to help break the logjam in Parliament, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh offered to call another all-party meeting from the Union Government’s end. No ice was broken on Thursday’s meeting.
This was after Congress party leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge not only stuck to his party’s stand of “no discussion till resignation’’, but also rattled out statistic to assert that the 15th Lok Sabha compared to the two previous Lok Sabhas had lost less working hours due to disruptions.
Needless to say, the government too reiterated its stated position -- “allow discussion”. In the midst of this political standoff what stood out was TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s defence of the MPs right to be in the Well of the House to disruption proceedings.
“Please remember, the state of Telangana was created through such protests in the Well of the House,” he said.
It was on this note that Rajnath offered to call an all-party meeting from the government’s end to find a compromise formula.
The exasperation of the Speaker over the daily placard showing and slogan shouting by the Opposition/Congress members was quite palpable at the meeting.