NEW DELHI: Ahead of the crucial Budget session of Parliament, the Government on Saturday sought to reach out to the Opposition to ensure smooth legislative business, saying it was open to discussing issues raised in Parliament, including the ongoing JNU row.
At an all-party meeting convened by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought support from across the political spectrum in Rajya Sabha where the numerical strength is tilted in favour of the Opposition. He hoped that “constructive” and “positive” work will be done in the House, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters.
According to sources, the Opposition, including the Congress and Left parties, demanded discussions on the Rohith Vemula suicide controversy along with the JNU row. The government, on its part, said it was willing to discuss it so that the entire nation could hear the debate.
The Congress had already indicated that it would try to corner the government on a host of issues such as imposition of President’s rule in Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh and the Pathankot terror attack.
The Budget session has a lot at stake for the government, which is keen to push its legislative agenda, including the pending GST and Real Estate Bills, which could not be passed in the past two sessions. The Budget session will focus largely on the financial business of the government. The Rail Budget will be presented on February 25 and the General Budget on February 29.
At the meeting on Saturday, both the government and Opposition parties agreed to pass a bill without discussion in the Upper House on the delimitation exercise in West Bengal to grant voting rights to people who came from Bangladesh following the exchange of enclaves between India and the neighbouring country.
Ansari, who chaired Saturday’s meeting, has repeatedly voiced his anger and frustration over the repeated adjournments of the Upper House during the Winter session and earlier sessions of Parliament.
Umar’s dad lodges police complaint
Umar Khalid’s father SQ Illyas Rasool on Saturday lodged a complaint with Delhi Police about a phone call “threatening to kill” his son if he didn’t leave the country. “The caller identified himself as Mumbai-based gangster Ravi Pujari,” police said, adding the call was internet-generated.
DM sends video for forensic testing
A ‘doctored’ video allegedly showing arrested JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar raising ‘anti-India’ slogans has been sent to a forensic laboratory by the District Magistrate conducting a probe into the case. The video was broadcast by some news channels. Later, other channels broadcast a different version of it, questioning its authenticity.
Omar hits out at ashoke pandit
Hitting out at BJP supporter Ashoke Pandit, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah on Saturday tweeted, “Now being a Kashmiri Muslim is crime enough to warrant interrogation... ” Pandit had tweeted, “Shiela Rashid #VicePresident #JNU who is a #KashmiriMuslim should be interrogated. She had also opposed #BabaRamdev in #JNU.”
1 lawyer arrested,released on bail
Om Sharma, one of the three lawyers allegedly behind the Patiala House Court violence, presented himself at Tilak Marg police station on Saturday. He was arrested and released on bail. The other two lawyers have been issued notice thrice but have yet to join the interrogation.