LS to discuss PM's remarks under Rule 184 today

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI, DEC. 12. The six-day standoff in Parliament between the Government and the Opposition over the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee's statement on the Ayodhya issue ended today, with both sides agreeing to a discussion under Rule 184 in the Lok Sabha. The resignations of the three chargesheeted Ministers and Mr. Vajpayee's statement will be discussed tomorrow, while the Prime Minister's reply, in the form of an intervention, and voting will take place on Thursday.

The back-off by both sides, followed an agreement hammered out in the chamber of the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. G. M. C. Balayogi, this afternoon. Accordingly, an amended motion, prepared with the help of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, and incorporating the two issues - the resignations of the three Ministers and the issues arising out of the Prime Minister's attempt to exonerate them - would be discussed under Rule 184.

At a meeting this morning of floor leaders convened by Mr. Balayogi, the two sides got down to work to arrive at a workable solution. Earlier, in the CPI(M) leader, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee's room, the Opposition managed to narrow down its differences and favoured a discussion under Rule 184. The Samajwadi Party's Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav appeared to have agreed to drop his demand for a discussion on the Prime Minister's statement.

The Government too seemed to be easing off with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, indicating a willingness for a discussion, but with a rider that the Prime Minister first be allowed to make a statement and the Opposition to follow with its motion. The Opposition promptly rejected the proposal and the issue was once again deadlocked. Mr. Mahajan then promised to get back after speaking to the Prime Minister.

With the House adjourned within minutes of assembling, the two sides met in the Speaker's room at 12.30 p.m. At the meeting, where Mr. K. Yerran Naidu of the TDP and the MDMK's Mr. Vaiko were present, the Government came around to the idea of a discussion under the Rule 184. The motion, whose draft version was broadly agreed upon, is likely to focus on the Ministers' resignations and seek the House's disapproval of the Prime Minister's statement attempting to exonerate the three Ministers - Mr. L. K. Advani, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and Ms. Uma Bharti.

The Speaker's office received 54 notices, 45 of them from the Congress and the rest from the CPI(M), SP, BSP, and the AIADMK. Tomorrow's motion would be decided by a draw of lots. In case of a Congress member being given the chance to move the motion, it would done by Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy, who incidentally was the first to file notice for a discussion under Rule 184.

`Opposition unity helped'

Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Balayogi said, ``I am happy we have reached an agreement and the House can now resume normal business from tomorrow.'' The Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, refused to view it as a defeat for the Government and said what was paramount that ``democratic principles had been strengthened''. The party chief whip, Mr. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, said the unity ``displayed by the entire Opposition'' helped its view prevail.

The Government, on its part, said it was prepared for a discussion under any rule decided by the Speaker. Mr. Mahajan pointed out that it served the BJP fine to get the issue of the three Ministers discussed in the House. ``Once the House gives its approval by voting in our favor, it will be a stamp of approval for the Ministers and nobody can dare raise it again.''

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