By IANS,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said Tuesday that the government should agree to adjourment motion on price rise in the Lok Sabha if it was confident of its numbers.
CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia wondered why the government was opposing adjournment motion on hike in prices of petroleum products effected in June.
“Why they are afraid of adjournment motion if they have a majority?” Acharia asked.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also said it would move adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the price rise. The motions are to be moved under rule 56 in the Lok Sabha and under rule 168 in the Rajya Sabha that require voting. While the government has adequate numbers in the Lok Sabha, the situation in the Rajya Sabha is tricky.
The government and its allies can count on 89 members and the opposition on 104. However, the swing votes of 51 members belonging to parties like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party, as also smaller parties and independent and nominated members, could make a difference.
The three parties have, in the past, sided with the government but given the general anger over the issue within and outside parliament, they could well decide to vote with the opposition to ensure the adjournment motion passes.
Since the voting is not on a money bill, the government would not have to resign if the adjournment passes. It would, however, be a huge embarassment for the government.
Acharia said the government had not taken concrete measuers to check price rise and people were reeling under double digit inflation.
He said about nine adjournment motions were taken during the term of last Lok Sabha and the house had in 2000 discussed price rise under the same rule.
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the party was pressing for discussion on price rise in parliament under rules that entail voting to put pressure on the government to take measures that provide relief to the people.
He said here that the issue of price rise had been discussed in the previous parliament sessions but the government had not taken any action.
“By insisting on discussion under rules that entail voting, we intent to put pressure that they (the government) acts,” Yechury said.
He said that the party was keen on discussion on price in the Rajya Sabha under rule 168 which entails voting. In the Lok Sabha, he said Left parties had given notice for adjournment motion on the issue.
He said the party will give fresh notices Wednesday for discussion under rules that entail voting.
Yechury said the Left parties had demanded that the administrative hike in petroleum prices made in the budget should be rolled back, futures trading in essential commodities should be banned and the Public Distribution System (PDS) should be universalized and strengthened.
“The government is not willing to accept any of the suggestions. It is hoping for a good monsoon,” Yechury said.
He said even if there is a good monsoon, the prices will at best stabalise and not come down.
Yechury said the government was prepared to suspend question hour in the Rajya Sabha to take up discussion on price rise but was not prepared for discussuion under Rule 168.
Yechury said the Left parties will raise a series of issues during the parliament session, including the Bhopal gas leak disaster; illegal mining in Karnataka, parts of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa; the situation in the northeast; the Rangnath Misra report; Hindutva terror; the situation in Jammu and Kashmir; growing incidents of rail accidents and the situation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The CPI-M leader said that Dow Chemicals should be made accountable for cleaning up toxic waste from Bhopal.
He suggested that an all-party delegation should visit Jammu and Kashmir as the confidence of the people was rapidly eroding.
Referring to rail accidents, he said there had been a sharp increase in their numbers this year.
On the Rangnath Mishra report, which has suggested reservations for minorities in government jobs, he said the party wants the government to come out with an action taken report on how to implement its suggestions.
The CPI-M leader said the party wanted that women’s reservation bill should be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
He said that the party will talk to secular opposition parties such as Telugu Desam Party, Biju Janata Dal and AIADMK to discuss strategy during the session