BJP,Left want House work to start with price rise debate

Setting aside their differences on other issues,the BJP and Left parties made common cause over price rise and asked Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar....

Setting aside their differences on other issues,the BJP and Left parties made common cause over price rise and asked Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to take up a debate on inflation on the second day of the Budget Session on February 23. The two formations made the demand at the floor leaders customary session-eve meeting with the Speaker on Saturday.

The Budget Session is scheduled to get underway on Monday with the Presidential Address to both Houses of Parliament. Spread over two phases,the session would have 35 sittings.

The entire Opposition agreed that there should be an immediate discussion on price rise on February 23,the first working day,and if the government agrees to this,there will not be any disruption, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said after the meeting. CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta was more belligerent. We will bring an adjournment motion if a discussion on inflation under Rule 193 is not scheduled for the first working day.

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The Opposition found support from UPA partners Trinamool Congress and DMK. T K S Elangovan of the DMK and Sudip Bandyopadhyay favoured an early discussion on inflation. They were backed by AIADMK leader Thambidurai and TDP leader Nama Nageswara Rao.

The government was non-committal and promised to respond to the Opposition demand later. We are ready to discuss all issues in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters speaking broadly about the issues sought to be raised.

Swaraj said the BJP wanted to discuss the proposed India-Pakistan dialogue,the demand for greater autonomy for J-K,ultra-Left violence and the Rangnath Commission recommendations. On India-Pakistan relations,the Opposition insisted upon a discussion before February 25,when the foreign secretaries are slated to meet. Given the tight calendar of the Lok Sabha for the first week of the session featuring the Presidential Address,Railway Budget,Economic Survey and the Budget it would be difficult for the Government to facilitate debates on price rise and India-Pakistan dialogue in-between.