Govt accuses Opposition of being unreasonable

The government today said it was ready to discuss all issues during the Winter Session of Parliament but accused the Opposition of "not being reasonable" by insisting on the time, date and rule under which a discussion can take place.

"This is the first day of the Winter Session. Let no party conduct itself in a way as if this is the last day of the session," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters outside Parliament House.

Asked whether the government was open to discussion in Lok Sabha on FDI in retail under Rule 184 which entails voting, Nath said, "The Speaker has to admit it. We have to see under what rule. We have to see what is the tradition in it.

"We cannot say we want it under this rule, on this day and at this time. We have to explain that this is not being reasonable," he said.

Nath, who was flanked by Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla and Paban Singh Ghatowar, said the government was ready to discuss any issue on the floor of the House as long as it was within the rules of Parliamentary procedure.

"Let us not conduct ourselves in a manner which appears to the people of this country that we are not behaving responsibly -- whether it is the government or the opposition," he said.

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