By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has identified over 85 issues ranging from illegal trade in human organs and internal security to inflation and malnutrition for discussion in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing budget session.
“These are issues in need of serious discussion in parliament to ascertain the sense of the house. For this, discussion followed by voting is a must,” said deputy leader of the BJP’s parliamentary party Vijay Kumar Malhotra.
“Similar notices have been given for discussion in the Rajya Sabha as well. We hope the government will allow discussion on these vital issues during the budget session,” Malhotra told IANS.
“The discussion will let the country know how the government is faring in key fronts like employment generation and containing inflation,” the BJP leader said, adding that the government had been caught napping while quacks were conducting illegal organ transplants.
The Lok Sabha secretariat has received 64 notices from the BJP for discussion under rule 184 that entails discussion followed by voting. The other notices have been given under rule 193, wherein only discussion is allowed.
“We have also sought a discussion on the creation of Telangana, a demand that the government has been ignoring since day one. The government must bring a bill to this effect at the earliest,” Malhotra said.
The BJP is of the view that the government must also discuss the situation arising out of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent trip to Arunachal Pradesh, and objections from China.
“It is a serious issue, directly linked to India’s sovereignty,” Malhotra said.
Apart from what the BJP terms as the fast spreading tentacles of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in the country, the party feels that the situation is equally grim in the northeastern states and the government is not serious about addressing the concerns.
“We have also sought a discussion on the entry of corporate houses into the retail sector that has set alarm bells ringing for the small and unorganised retailers. The government should formulate a policy to safeguard their interests,” said Santosh Kumar Gangwar, BJP’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha.
While the BJP firmed up its agenda, officials in the Lok Sabha were sceptical about the government agreeing to the discussions in the house.
“The government will get brickbats from all quarters in the house if discussion is allowed on issues like Telangana, inflation, farmers’ problems and hike in petroleum prices,” said an official.
The business advisory committee (BAC) takes the final decision on issues to be raised in the two houses.