Major parties want discussion on price rise in Parliament

Major political parties today demanded a discussion on price rise in the coming budget session of Parliament, with BJP saying that proceedings will be smooth if the debate takes place on the first working day.

Leaders of the parties, including UPA partners Trinamool Congress and DMK who attended a meeting convened by Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar ahead of the budget session beginning on Monday, insisted on a full-fledged debate on price rise.

"The entire opposition agreed that there should be an immediate discussion on price rise on February 23, the first working day. If the government agrees to this, there will not be any disruption and we can have a proper discussion," leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said after the two-hour long meet.

"We are ready to discuss all issues in Parliament," prime minister Manmohan Singh said when asked about BJP seeking clarification on the government's move on talks between the
foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.

Swaraj, who attended the meeting for the first time after becoming the leader of Opposition succeeding LK Advani, said that her party would also raise issues like Maoist violence, Ranganath Misra Commission report, Indo-Pak talks and justice Sageer Ahmed's report on Jammu and Kashmir autonomy.

Senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said if the government did not yield to the opposition demand for a discussion on price rise on the first working day, "we will move an adjournment motion".

He said the Left would also raise issues like fertiliser price hike and the plight of unorganised sector workers. 

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay and DMK's T K S Elangovan also wanted the price situation to be discussed, with the latter also seeking a comprehensive mechanism to amend the laws to check spiralling prices.

Bandopadhyay, whose party is in loggerheads with the ruling CPI(M) in West Bengal, sought a discussion on political violence in the state, saying it should not be prevented on the grounds of law and order being a state subject. 

Elangovan said the Centre should not bring any legislation in this session on education, which is a state subject.

TDP leader Nama Nageshwara Rao also wanted a debate on the price issue, apart from unemployment, fertiliser prices and farmers problems and "doubts" on the functioning of electronic voting machines.

Asked whether they would raise the Telengana issue, he said, "We would like to know what the national policy is on further division of states". 

The Speaker said all parties have agreed to extend cooperation for the smooth running of the session, which would have 35 sittings.

Asked about changes in rules to prevent collapse of the Question Hour, Kumar said the Rules Committee has approved amendments to ensure uninterrupted proceedings.

She said if the Question Hour has to be suspended during its normal time from 1100 to 1200 hours for any reason, it would be the Speaker's discretion to allow it to be held any time during the same day.

"Some other rules have also been changed," she said.     Meanwhile, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai said his party
would demand sufficient time for discussion on price rise and
allocation of more time for debating farmers' problems,
particularly those of the sugarcane cultivators.

He said a suggestion should be given to the election commission to ensure that bye-elections are not held whenever Parliament or state assemblies are in session as most of the MPs and MLAs get busy campaigning.