NDA yet to decide on No-Confidence Motion

New Delhi, Jul 23: The National Democratic Alliance today threatened not to allow any business in the Lok Sabha on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 24 until the Government accepted their Adjournment Motion notice on the Mumbai Blasts.

The 90-minute meeting chaired by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also kept its option open to move a no-confidence motion against the Manmohan Singh government for its failure in all fronts.

It also decided to strongly oppose the Bill on 'Office of Profit" if it was re-introduced in the same form. The bill, earlier passed by Parliament and sent to President APJ Abdul Kalam for his assent, was returned to the Government for reconsideration.

Addressing newspersons, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the meeting attended by leaders of all constituents of the NDA, also decided that all NDA MPs would march to the Rashtrapati Bhawan from Vijay Chowk at 0930 hours to submit a memorandum to the President on three issues, Mumbai Blasts, Price Rise and Office of Profit.

Mr Malhotra said the NDA would press for the Adjournment Motion as soon as the House meets and if the Government did not agree to begin a debate on the Mumbai blasts, they would not allow any business in the House. He said the Mumbai blasts was a total failure of the Government. Despite information from the intelligence agencies and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, the Government did not take any steps to foil the terrorists' design in which at least 200 persons were killed and thousands injured.

On a question whether the NDA had any plans to move a no-confidence motion against the Government, Mr Malhotra said though the issue was not discussed at the meeting, the NDA was keeping its options open.

The NDA, he said, also decided to raise forcefully the issues of step price rise of essential commodities, unabated farmers suicides, unemployment, Navy war-room leak and the arrest of Mr Abishek Verma, son of a Congress leader, Scorpene Deal and widespread corruption in which it would refer to Volcker's Report and defreezing of Italian businessman Otavio Quattrocchi's account in London.

Besides the Opposition would also take the Government to task on the Indo-US Nuclear Deal in which it was bending to the US pressure.

The NDA would also like to know the reasons behind the walk-out by Commerce Minister Kamal Nath despite the Third World countries having majority at wto, he said.

Mr Malhotra said the NDA expressed concern over the sale of 1000 acres of land by several states to top industrialists for creation of Special Economic Zone, while it was not giving any good price to the farmers for acquiring their land for the purpose. The NDA held the view that there was a large scale corruption in this field and the farmers are very agitated.

He said the government had earlier decided that only barren land would be acquired for creating Special Economic Zone, but now it had been learnt that even the fertile land of farmers were being converted into the SEZs. The move, he said, was aimed at helping the big business houses.

On the issue of Office of Profit, he said the NDA would oppose if the bill was reintroduced in the same form.

To a question, he refuted the charge that any money was paid to the hijackers of IC-814 aircraft for release of hostages in exchange of three terrorists. Even the Congress was in favour of the release of the Kandahar hostages, he added, saying all controversy over Kandahar issue was baseless.

UNI

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