Dasmunsi suggests all-party meet to strengthen Parliament

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi today deplored the Opposition's approach to stall proceedings in Parliament leading to adjournment of Lok Sabha one day ahead of schedule till the beginning of second phase of the Budget session on April 26.

Addressing newspersons, Mr Dasmunsi said he would soon write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene an all party meet to discuss ways to strengthen the Institution of Parliament and prevent recurrence of frequent adjournments in the next phase of the Budget Session.

Mr Dasmunsi said, "We will see that in the second phase of Parliament this is not repeated or else time has come to have a relook at the whole parliamentarsy system." ''If there were shortcomings in the system, that could be rectified with a consensus among the political parties, ''he said, criticising what he called a "hit and run" policy. ''The sole intention and design of the Opposition seemed to be how it could disrupt the House.'' "We want to collectively address this system and, if necessary, to amend the rules. I am sending a report to the Prime Minister," he said.

Explaining the circumstances that led to the adjournment of the first phase of budget session ahead of schedule, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the Opposition was ''not interested to discuss the issues like internal security, Quattrocchi, price rise they had forwarded to the Government before the beginning of the session.'' He said the Opposition was told that'' it could speak on Nandigram issue while participating in the debate on internal security but did not find acceptance.'' He said the leaders of the principal Opposition party were told that ''like carnage in Chhattisgarh, Nandigram issue in West Bengal could not be taken up in the Lok Sabha and hence the adjournment notice of Leader of the Opposition L K Advani was rejected by the Speaker.'' Recapitulating the disruptions caused by the Opposition, he said ''it was for the first time in the history of Parliament that the replies to the debates on the Railway Budget and General Budget by the Railway Minister and the Finance Minister were disrupted.'' The Opposition, he said, had not ''shown the courtesy to listen to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, although there had been a discussion on the budget lasting seventeen and a half hours.'' In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh'' had spoken at length on the budget,'' Mr Dasmunsi pointed out.

Emphasising the need to relook at the whole system, Mr Dasmunsi however said that he ''was not blaming only one party for frequent disruptions. ''But of late the manner in which the proceedings in Parliament were stalled, had compelled'' him to approach the Prime Minister to discuss the matter with all political parties.

UNI