Price rise debate in Lok Sabha on Wed, no adjournment motion

Mangalore Today

New Delhi, July 27, 2010:  Despite a united attack by the Opposition today, the government will not accept an adjournment motion on the issue of rising prices. Basically, the government will not allow a vote on the matter.

 

The Lok Sabha will begin debating prices on Wednesday morning, after both houses of Parliament were adjourned today following noisy protests by Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The Opposition wants an adjournment motion on the matter of price rise - that means the discussion would end with a vote.  However, the Congress has already ruled this out.

Parties like the BJP want an explanation for why petrol prices have been deregulated, and why essentials like kerosene have become more expensive.

The BJP’s Sushma Swaraj said, "We demand a detailed discussion on price rise first... today all the Opposition parties are united on this issue... please accept our demand of an adjournment motion... and give us an opportunity to discuss the issue."

In a setback for the government, the Bahujan Samjwadi Party (BSP) has demanded a discussion on price rise.  The BSP has in the past come to the government’s rescue by voting with it on crucial issues.

While the Congress is jittery about issues like inflation forcing unity among a usually-scattered Opposition, the BJP is desperate to deflect attention from its own crisis. Amit Shah, a BJP minister in Gujarat, was forced to resign after being accused of murder.  He has since been arrested.

Focusing on the government’s failure to control prices is therefore a political practicality for the BJP. "The suffering of the common man will be exposed," said the party’s Ravi Shankar Prasad. He also said the BJP will focus on "the insult in Islamabad " - the India-Pakistan talks held earlier this month in Islamabad which were followed by various derogatory remarks by the Pakistani Foreign Minister, SM Qureshi.  He said, at a press conference, that India was "not fully ready" for the talks, and that Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna received instructions on the phone from Delhi. 

 

Courtesy: NDTV