Govt ready to discuss any issue in the House: Venkaiah Naidu
NEW DELHI: With only two days of the Winter session of Parliament remaining, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday called upon the Opposition to allow normal business to function. The government is keen to push key legislation in the last two days of the session even while the three enabling bills for the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) are yet to be finalised by the GST council.
Naidu said the government is ready for discussion on any issue in Parliament. The Opposition has stuck to its guns on its demand for discussion on the issue of demonetisation in the Lok Sabha under a rule which entails voting. The government has equally been unrelenting on the demand, with views among the floor managers of the NDA that the Opposition would employ the plea of Lok Sabha taking up a discussion with voting to demand the same in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling dispensation is short on numbers. Monday and Tuesday have been marked as holidays for Parliament on account of Eid-e-Milad-un Nabi.
“The remaining period of Winter session should be utilised. The government is ready for debate on any issue, including demonetisation. We hope that the last two days will be useful and there will be no obstruction,” Naidu said, while adding that there are other issues that the Members of Parliament want to raise in both the Houses of Parliament. He added that the Opposition should see to it that people’s aspirations are met in Parliament.
The minister stressed that even while there is a demand from the Opposition that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the issue of demonetisation, the disruptions in both the Houses of Parliament have not allowed the opportunity. Naidu also reminded the Opposition that the President Pranab Mukherjee and the BJP veteran L K Advani too have expressed concerns on disruptions in both the Houses of Parliament.