New Delhi: Expressing the hope that the second leg of the Budget session will not be “stormy”, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the government is “willing to discuss any issue” in the House.
“I do not think there will be any stormy thing in the House. Because, this is the second part of the Budget session, we have financial business. We have demands for grants.
“We need to discuss certain demands also that were agreed upon earlier, they have been listed. The government is willing to discuss any issue, every issue as usual,” Mr Naidu said in Delhi as the session began.
Mr Naidu, however, said rules and regulations have to be followed for taking up any issue in Parliament and the opposition should be aware of it.
“But the question is if somebody wants to discuss an issue (Ishrat Jahan) which is before the Supreme Court; the procedure, the rules and regulation, the Speaker seems to have made very clear. So, I do not think, the opposition which have been in power for 50 years, they must be aware of the rules and regulations,” he said.
As far as the issues are concerned, Mr Naidu said, “The drought situation is there in certain parts, there is water shortage in certain parts of the country. The government is willing to discuss because we have nothing to hide and all those situations are not created by our government.”
Targeting Congress, Mr Naidu said, “With regard to Ishrat Jahan issue, some shocking revelations have come, affidavits have been filed and again it has been doctored and changed also and that is now not contested by the former Home Minister (P Chidambaram).”
He, however, said all depends on the Speaker for the discussion on Ishrat Jahan issue to be allowed in the House.
“Our people also have given some notices about Ishrat Jahan issue. If the opposition also wants to discuss Ishrat Jahan issue, there should not be any problem whatsoever. But it all depends upon the Speaker,” he said.
Reaching out to the opposition, he said “I have already appealed to the opposition. Be constructive on whatever issue you want to be discussed, the government is willing to discuss as per the rules.”
PTI