The Hindu : National : NDA may rethink parliamentary strategy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 09, 2004

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National

NDA may rethink parliamentary strategy

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, DEC. 8. Angered by the decision of the Central Bureau of Investigation to file cases against the former Bharatiya Janata Party president, Bangaru Laxman, and the former Samata Party president, Jaya Jaitley, a view is gathering momentum in the National Democratic Alliance that it should "re-consider" its parliamentary strategy.

It could be back to stalling Parliament, a senior BJP leader hinted today, but added that a decision would be taken at a meeting of the NDA leaders called by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, L.K. Advani, tomorrow morning before the start of the day's parliamentary proceedings.

Although the reason for a change in the earlier mood, favouring cooperation with the Treasury Benches to prevent stalling of Parliament, seemed to be the Tehelka-related cases, the immediate spark was provided by the Government's refusal to oblige the Opposition demand that the Prime Minister make a statement on the public spat between two Ministers, Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, over several weeks.

"Even today our members wanted to walk into the well of the House and were in the mood not to relent till the Government gave in to our demand that the Prime Minister explain the conduct of his Ministers," the BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha and party spokesperson, V.K. Malhotra, told reporters. "However, since our leaders had assured the Speaker that we will not disrupt proceedings, we staged a walkout led by Mr. Advani."

`Politically motivated'

Mr. Malhotra today charged that the cases were politically motivated. After the Opposition demanded that the Prime Minister make a statement, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister had said that there was no need for the Prime Minister to do so. Mr. Malhotra described this intervention as "objectionable."

The Opposition, he said, was well within its rights to demand an explanation whether the Government had given up the concept of collective Cabinet responsibility, and only a statement from the Prime Minister could have cleared the air.

He said when one Minister (Mr. Prasad) levelled serious charges of corruption against another (Mr. Paswan), the Government could not maintain silence. It was its duty to get the allegations investigated.

Political observers have noted that the NDA meeting was being called neither by its chairman, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, nor by the convener, George Fernandes, but by the BJP president.

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