National   

Opposition to grill Govt. on disinvestment issue

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 27. The Opposition is firming up plans to haul the Government over the coals in Parliament next week. Among the subjects shortlisted are disinvestment and the JPC report on the UTI scam.

Last week too, the Opposition had raised the Government's disinvestment policy, particularly the sale of HPCL and BPCL.

Priyaranjan Dasmunshi of the Congress read out a list of the parties which according to him were opposed to the sale of the two units. However, the TDP MP, Yerran Naidu, contested his claims the next day and supported the Government on the issue. On Monday, the Opposition leaders would put their heads together on the strategy to be adopted to add to the Government's discomfiture.

Senior Opposition leaders point out that the issue has to be raised in such a manner that it does not end up giving the advantage to the Treasury benches. The Opposition is convinced that despite the public stand of the NDA allies against the sale, it is unlikely that they will vote against the Government. "By forcing a vote, we do not want to allow them to claim that the house has endorsed the sale of HPCL and BPCL,'' a senior Congress leader said.

The Opposition is also considering bringing up the issue of under-utilisation of the defence budget, again. This, however, may prove to be a tricky affair. The Government has expressed its readiness to have the issue discussed, indicating that the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, would reply to it.

The problem for the Opposition is that it has so far been boycotting the Defence Minister and its members have refused to ask questions relating to the Ministry. A full-fledged discussion would entail a reply by Mr. Fernandes which the Opposition is not prepared for. "We have suggested a way out of the imbroglio concerning the Minister, but the Government refuses to get the issue discussed in the manner in which we want,'' Jaipal Reddy said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Mayawati meets PM on cane issue
• Opposition to grill Govt. on disinvestment issue
• 'Centre may intervene in Bengal, if necessary'
• Isolation of SARS suspects `not up to the mark'
• Pak. Rangers return Indian territory
• Kalyan Singh denies returning to BJP fold
• Journalist dead
• `Some banks circumventing RBI guidelines'
• RSS-BJP strategy session planned in May
• `Ali brainwashed by Kashmiri militant'
• 'PM should be ready for war also'
• `Tridents do not come under Arms Act'

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu