By IANS,
New Delhi : Non-NDA opposition parties Thursday staged a demonstration in the Parliament House complex demanding a discussion on the price rise under rules that provide for voting.
After both houses of parliament were adjourned till 12 noon, members from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India, along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) staged a protest against rising prices.
“The Left and secular parties have come together against the government. which has failed completely on the price rise front,” CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said.
The parties demanded a roll-back in the hike in petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas prices, stressing upon discussing this in parliament under rules which have a specific provision for voting.
“We want a discussion under rules that entail voting because voting will force the government to take some concrete steps,” Yechury said.
Backing the demand, RJD leader Lalu Prasad alleged that the government provided subsidies at the time of elections and withdrew them once it came to power.
“They gave subsidies for votes and when they came to power, they withdrew the subsidy which led to escalation in prices,” he alleged.
The RJD leader said that the entire opposition was united, comparing the situation to the time the emergency was lifted in 1977.
“The opposition is together like in 1977. I am happy that the Left parties have also accepted Gandhian ideology,” Lalu Prasad said.
The RJD is giving outside support to the government.
CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said that though parliament faced many important issues, price rise was the most important one.
“We want parliament to function as are many other many other important issues but the issue of price rise is the most important issue,” Dasgupta said.
Backing the demand, JD-S leader and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda said: “We want a roll-back in the petroleum price hike”.
The Samajwadi Party, led by its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav staged a separate protest at the main gate of Parliament House.
On his part, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari criticised the opposition for paralysing parliament.
“The prices are not going to come down if they keep shouting slogans inside and outside parliament,” he said.