By IANS,
New Delhi: Signalling a stormy monsson session of parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) Saturday said it would seek parliamentary debates on the alleged rampant corruption and price rise issues under a clause that entails voting and makes actions recommended binding on the government.
Besides, the main opposition party will also raise the July 13 Mumbai serial blasts, Maoist violence, and the issue of black money stashed by rich Indians in foreign banks.
The BJP held a meeting of its parliamentary party executive at senior leader L.K. Advani’s residence here Saturday to identify some of the issues the party would raise during the session.
BJP’s Rajya Sabha member S.S. Ahluwalia said corruption, price rise and internal security were the main issues awaiting replies from the government.
“Corruption, black money, internal security and the land acquisition… we want to discuss these issues. Some of these issues under the voting clause, where through the voting there will be a motion in the house to question the government,” Ahluwalia told reporters after the meeting.
He said the opposition party would seek discussion on price rise and corruption under Rule 184 that entails voting.
Party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS that the “biggest issue is rampant corruption and we will ask the government what it is doing about it”.
He said terrorism has raised its head again “as is evident from the Mumbai blast”.
“The government owes an answer to the nation and we will have it from them in parliament,” Naqvi said.
Naqvi said the BJP would seek amendments to the cabinet-approved draft of the anti-graft Lokpal bill, which would be tabled in the Lok Sabha during the session.
“The Lokpal needs changes to make it more effective,” said Naqvi. But he did not specify what amendments the BJP wanted in the draft bill that keeps the prime minister out of the ombudsman’s purview.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj also tweeted her party’s strategy during session.
“We have demanded a discussion on internal security with special reference to Mumbai terror attacks under Rule 193 (which does not entail voting). We have also asked for a discussion on Maoist violence in the country,” Sushma Swaraj wrote on the microblogging site.
She said the “major issues” were price rise, corruption, black money, Telangana, Air India, killing and arrest of Indian fishermen allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy, and farmers’ agitation on land acquisitions.
The BJP has also decided not to oppose introduction of the Lokpal bill though it has major differences with the government’s draft.