No end in sight for House logjam

The logjam in parliament is likely to continue for the remaining part of the first week of the winter session. The right and left wing opposition parties are firm on their demand that adjournment motions should be debated on the issues of price rise and black money.

The UPA government is also firm that discussions should be held, but not through an adjournment motion or a rule that entails voting. With both sides, holding firm, the chances of normal functioning of the house are bleak till Monday, when the price rise issue could be discussed through a short duration discussion.

A lot of opposition members have served adjournment motion notices on these two issues, and it is expected that Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar would take these up on Thursday. The fate of these motions would be known when they come up, but there are indications she could allow these, and the opposition would not take this decision without protest.

The government has been asserting that it is willing for any discussion on any issue. “We want that the issues should be debated. But we are having a debate on the rule under which the debate should take place,” said minister of state for parliamentary affairs Rajeev Shukla.

Also, the government side is arguing that an adjournment motion has to be based on a subject of  “urgent public importance” whereas both price rise and blackmoney do not qualify for such an urgency.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, continued his efforts to persuade the political parties to the government’s point of in view of the smooth functioning of parliament. He had a luncheon with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh. However, the SP chief did not give an unqualified assurance. The SP has 22 MPs, and this support is crucial for the UPA to have a safe survival in case it comes to a trial of strength over any issue-either black money or price rise. But at this moment, it looks like a distant eventuality, that the numbers would be tested.