The Winter Session of Parliament got off to a rocky start on Tuesday with the Lok Sabha adjourned for the day without transacting business as the Opposition refused to let it function, and the Rajya Sabha adjourned after the obituary references.
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged all parties to allow the session “to function smoothly”, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had already swung into action to defuse the crisis, inviting BJP president Nitin Gadkari home for lunch on Monday and meeting the Left leaders on Tuesday.
The government faces a hard time as the BJP is firm on boycotting home minister P. Chidambaram over his alleged role in the 2G scam and on bringing an adjournment motion on the black money issue. The Left, meanwhile, threatens an adjournment motion on rising prices. The government wanted a discussion under Rule 193 on prices: while the CPI appeared inclined to accept, the CPI(M) rejected the proposal.
Top CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the party was “rigid” on moving an adjournment motion, “and there is no change”. The BJP is not against a discussion under Rule 193 (without voting) on prices. Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had said the Lok Sabha will discuss Mr Mukherjee’s statement on prices on Wednesday.