BJP shortlists priority issues to be raised in Parliament

New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) A meeting of BJP Parliamentary Party today decided to raise in the coming session of Parliament the issues concerning demolition and sealing operations against unauthorised structures in Delhi, steep hike in price rise in essential commodities and urge the government to go into the roots of involvement of Congress Party in receiving kickbacks from UN's Oil for Food Programme.

The party shortlisted its priorities among the 46 notices it has submitted.

After a hour and a half long meeting of Parliamentary Party Office Bearers, Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra told newspersons that the party had only seven sittings in the forthcoming session of the Parliament commencing from May 10 and the party would be raising the issue of threat issued by Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran to Tata group and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sitting over the files of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla instead of sending it to Election Commission. The President wanted to route the opposition's complaint through the PM but he was sitting over it without forwarding it to the E C, he charged.

The party, he said wanted the Government to examine all aspects of Congress involvement in kickbacks as it had been named by the Paul Volcker report and the Government should examine Congress President Sonia Gandhi as the head of the beneficiary organisation.

About the Government's move to bring a Bill exempting certain office of profit from the purview of disqualification, Mr Malhotra said the Opposition's response would depend on the content of the Bill. "The BJP does not want any dilution of the spirit of Constitutional provisions on the issue", he said.

Asked about the BJP's views on reservation quota as demanded by the backward classes, Mr Malhotra said the party was in favour of accomodating the demands for social justice to oppressed classes.

This should not be just in government institutions but also in minority run institutions as well. The number of seats should be increased in professional institutions so that the interests of all should be served, he added.

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