Date:10/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091055671200.htm

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Left, allies for early monsoon session

Special Correspondent

They urge President to intervene to “prevent subversion” of constitutional scheme

— Photo: V. Sudershan

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury (third left) along with (from left) Debabrata Biswas (AIFB), D. Raja (CPI), Satish Mishra (BSP), Yerran Naidu (TDP) and Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) addressing the media outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday, after meeting President Pratibha Patil seeking monsoon session of Parliament at the earliest.

NEW DELHI: Leaders of Left parties, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) on Tuesday met President Pratibha Patil and sought her intervention to hold the monsoon session of Parliament immediately to “prevent subversion” of constitutional scheme. The Manmohan Singh-led government had decided to call a session from October 17.

Raising the issue of executive accountability, the leaders, in a memorandum to the President, said for a variety of important reasons “such manipulation” of Parliament sessions had serious implications and it violated the basic principle of governance.

The memorandum said a series of reports suggested that the Prime Minister’s assurances to Parliament and the country on the nuclear deal with the United States had been violated and crucial information concealed.

“These are serious matters concerning the sovereignty and security of India and its independent foreign policy. Parliament, therefore the people, are being deprived of their fundamental right to make the government accountable and answerable on these matters,” the memorandum said.

Other issues

There were also issues such as inflation, agrarian crisis, serious unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar floods and attacks on Christians in Orissa that needed to be debated, the memorandum said.

The leaders appealed to the President that as the custodian of the Constitution, she should intervene urgently to prevent “such a subversion of our constitutional scheme. We demand that the monsoon session of Parliament is immediately convened. The winter session must, as is the practice, convene in the second half of November”, the memorandum said. The leaders, who called on the President, included Basudeb Acharya and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Gurudas Dasgupta and D. Raja (CPI), Rajesh Verma and Satish Chandra Misra (BSP), K. Yerrannaidu and Mysoora Reddy (TDP), Jochim Baxla and Abani Roy (RSP), Debabrata Biswas (AIFB) and Danish Ali (JS-S).