BJP is being obdurate: Cong.

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI, APRIL 18. The stalemate over the Tehelka expose continued with both Houses of Parliament being forced to adjourn for the day without transacting any substantial business. The bone of contention remained the Opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the fallout of the expose, and the Government's refusal of the same.

In both the Houses the Opposition allowed peaceful conduct of question hour, but the protests began soon after. In the Lok Sabha, the principal Opposition party, Congress, and its allies (RJD, IUML and Kerala Congress) trooped into the well chanting ``We want a JPC'' in unison.

Led by the former Minister, Mr. Buta Singh, the RJD's Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and others, the Opposition MPs kept up their chant for a JPC. They also targeted the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, who was present in the House, and demanded his ouster. ``Desh ko bachana hai, Vajpayee ko jaana hai'' (We have to save the country, Vajpayee must go.)

The BJP MPs tried to counter the sloganeering by waving copies of a newspaper in which the charges of the Janata Party chief, Dr. Subramanian Swamy, against the Congress president were published. But they gave up midway. The Speaker, Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi, made several attempts to persuade the members to resume their seats but to no avail. With the din reaching a feverish pitch, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Left, SP subdued

Like yesterday, the Left parties and the Samajwadi Party kept their distance from the Congress, but significantly the RJD, IUML and the Kerala Congress rallied round the Congress. While the RJD members were in the forefront of the sloganeering, the IUML and Kerala Congress also lent support. The Samata Party sought to take advantage of the divide in the Opposition ranks by releasing a statement praising Left parties and the Samajwadi Party for not cooperating with the Congress.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Government and the Opposition clashed soon after question hour. The Congress and its allies wanted Mr. Kapil Sibal (Congress) to be allowed to explain the legality of the issue, a move vehemently opposed by the treasury benches. The Government maintained that it would settle for nothing less than a full-fledged debate. The Chairperson was forced to adjourn the House till 2 p.m. Similar scenes were re- enacted when the House reassembled forcing its adjournment for the day. The war of nerves continued outside Parliament with the Congress accusing the BJP of trying to ride roughshod over the Opposition. ``No Government has ever treated the minimum legitimate demands of the Opposition with such contempt,'' said Mr. Jaipal Reddy, Congress spokesperson. He also made it clear that his party was opposed to either curtailing the session or adjourning Parliament sine die after hurriedly passing the Union and Railway budgets.

The Congress said it had toned down its demands, insisting only on the setting up of a JPC and commencement of criminal proceedings with a view to facilitating the normal functioning of the House, but it was the BJP which was coming in the way because of its obdurate stand. ``We have done our best but the Government is not interested in the normal functioning of the House and now it is for the people to judge,'' Mr. Reddy said.

The Congress stressed that it had adopted a reasonable attitude but it was the Government which was being unreasonable and obdurate. The party put the blame for the continuing stalemate in parliament on the BJP. ``Their intransigence has resulted in the unhappy stalemate in Parliament,'' in Mr. Reddy's words.

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