The Hindu : Opposition blames PM for stalemate

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 10, 2002

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National

Opposition blames PM for stalemate

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 9. The petrol pump allotment issue continued to dominate the proceedings of Parliament which adjourned for the sixth day today with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition holding on to their well-known positions.

While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day without transacting any business, the Lok Sabha saw the passage of the Railways supplementary demand for grant through a voice vote amid vociferous protests and slogan-shouting by the Opposition inside the well of the House.

The Opposition led by the Congress raised slogans in the Lok Sabha against the Petroleum Minister, Ram Naik, demanding his resignation and even went on to suggest the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, relinquish his post.

Mr. Vajpayee was not present, while Mr. Naik, who was in when the House cleared the Railways demands for grants, preferred not to comment. Soon after it assembled, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till noon, when the House took up the legislative business and rose after its passage in less than 15 minutes.

Both the BJP and the Opposition traded charges over the deadlock that has resulted in repeated adjournments of both Houses without a break since last Friday.

A determined Opposition took the campaign outside, with the CPI(M) insisting on laying the blame at the door of the Prime Minister for not making any attempt to find a solution to the stalemate.

"The Leader of the House, Mr. Vajpayee, has not taken any initiative to call a meeting of the Opposition parties to resolve the situation. Now, even some NDA allies have started demanding an inquiry,'' the CPI(M) leader, Rup Chand Pal, said at a press conference. The Opposition demands include resignation of Mr. Naik and a high-level probe into the allotments.

On the other hand, the BJP continued to be on the offensive and released further lists of people who got allotments during the earlier Congress regime. The BJP spokesman, V.K. Malhotra, said the Congress had made 18,000 allotments to relatives of its leaders and challenged the party president, Sonia Gandhi, to `respond' to the standards set by the Prime Minister by directing her party members to surrender such allotments. Responding to the Opposition demand for a probe, he said, the BJP was willing to concede a Parliamentary approval for the cancellation effected by Mr. Vajpayee provided it included allotments to relatives of all political people made earlier.

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