Date:05/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/05/stories/2008050556021200.htm

National

Manmohan’s ‘silence’ to raise din in Parliament

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The lack of response from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to U.S. President George Bush’s statement blaming India’s prosperity for rising food prices and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s reference of disorderly conduct by 32 Parliamentarians to the Committee on Privileges would dominate proceedings in Parliament in the coming week.

While the Lok Sabha will convene as usual on Monday, the Rajya Sabha will be adjourned after paying homage to noted Gandhian and sitting member Nirmala Deshpande who passed away last week.

The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised Dr. Singh for not responding to Mr. Bush’s observations in putting the blame for rising food prices on increasing consumption in India.

“When you start demanding better nutrition and better food, that causes the price to go up,” Mr. Bush had said while mentioning India’s increasing middle class as responsible for the trend, although he felt prosperity was “good.”

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Prime Minister’s silence was “shameful” and he should have stood up for the country. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is behaving like an officer on deputation. He has been a total failure on domestic as well as foreign fronts. He has got only a few days left in office and at least he should now stand up to protect the country’s honour and dignity,” Mr. Naqvi said.

The U.S. was trying to become “bread inspector” of the world after being the “bomb inspector,” he said. “India will not accept such interference. The government should take serious note of the U.S. President’s statement and give a strong reply,” he said. On the BJP’s stand against the Speaker’s referral, senior leader Sushma Swaraj said a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance would decide the mode of protest. The BJP felt the Speaker had been selective in targeting the 32 MPs. No action was taken against members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party who, they feel, had been raucous in the past.