Opposition parties — led by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi — on Thursday staged a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue outside the Parliament over several issues. The banners they carried with them suggested they were protesting against the government for not allowing discussions on all inconvenient issues — the banking scam, dilution of SC/ST atrocities Act, famers' distress and CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) paper leaks.
Mrs Gandhi was also upset with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar for accusing her Rahul of disrupting the Parliament every day, saying his comments were "shameful". She said the government was guilty of blockade with the help of allies like AIADMK, but was blaming the Congress instead. "Congress has always sat patiently and requested a discussion. It's the government and its allies that have not allowed the Parliament to function," she said.
Kumar dismissed the demonstration as "drama" and repeated in the House that a decision was taken on Wednesday that all MPs of the ruling NDA will forfeit their salaries and allowances voluntarily under the principle of "no work, no pay" since the Opposition did not allow any business to be the conducted the whole past month. Strangely, the decision to forgo earnings was not taken in any meeting of the MPs, but in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi, surprising many BJP MPs.
However, Congress spokesman Raj Babbar described the forfeiture as "sheer gimmick" and said, "Surrender of Rs 2,000 per day that the MP gets during the session will not cover up the scams of Rs 2.5 lakh crore." He added that almost all opposition parties had given notices for discussions on a variety of issues, but the government did not want any discussion.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi mocked the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh over according the status of minister of state to five Hindu saints in a bid to avert a 'yatra' where they threatened to expose the Narmada river scam.
Rahul tweeted in Hindi with #Madhya Pradesh: Qayamat se Qayamat tak (from final day of destiny/judgment day to final/judgment day)
RAHUL ‘BABA’ TALKS
Rahul Gandhi mocked the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh over according the status of minister of state to five Hindu saints in a bid to avert a ‘yatra’; invokes Qayamat se Qayamat Tak
