Speaker is optimistic on Winter Session
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Thursday made a fresh bid to stop the last session’s Parliament deadlock on the issue of a JPC to probe the 2G scam from spilling into the Budget Session by inviting leaders of the government and main Opposition BJP to lunch. But the attempt appears to have failed as leaders from both sides stuck to their positions and the BJP put the onus of ending the impasse on the government.
The luncheon meeting, besides the Speaker, was attended by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and parliamentary affairs minister P.K, Bansal (government) and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and BJP veteran L.K. Advani.
At the meeting, though both parties agreed that the logjam was a matter of concern, they expressed divergent views on ending it. Later, in her tweet, Ms Swaraj wrote: “We have not given up our demand for JPC. In fact, we reiterated it...”
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman later said, “The BJP’s position is that we are asking for a joint parliamentary committee. We are clear and firm on our demand.”
She added: “The responsibility of running Parliament lies with the government. The way out to run the (Budget) Session is clear. The government should find a way to take the Opposition along.”
The Speaker, however, was hopeful. “Both sides are very keen that the next session should run in order ... I am very, very optimistic on how the events will unfold,” Ms Kumar, who will be meeting leaders of non-BJP parties on Friday, said.
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