Government reaches out as Opposition showcases unity

Amidst continuing logjam in Parliament, the government on Wednesday tried to reach out to Opposition parties, offering to hold parleys to address issues related to the management of post-demonatization process. Government sources said the main Opposition demand of PM Narendra Modi’s presence in the House had already been met, but they still didn’t allow the Parliament  to transact business for the fifth day in a row. A united opposition on Wednesday staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, in Parliament premises. They formed a human chain of MPs and decided to hold massive nationwide protests on Monday.

The government was weighing the possibility of holding an all-party meeting on Thursday to break the ongoing deadlock. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anant Kumar had sought meetings with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Government sources here said the PM has deputed senior ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, and Ananth Kumar to hold discussions with the parties to ensure that the remaining Winter Session of Parliament functions without any further disruption.

Dropping the idea of a joint public rally or a Bharat Bandh for want of consensus, all Opposition parties decided the next best course of organising “Jan Akrosh Diwas” (Mass Fury Day) on Monday. Every party will work out their own demonstrations and rallies in district headquarters and state capitals across the county on that day, though without deviating from the unity of purpose of exposing the government’s ‘anti-people’ face.

Realising that it was difficult for Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, DMK and AIADMK and Left and Trinamul Congress to come together, it was decided that they would hold separate protests.