Govt’s hands full as Parliament reopens

NEW DELHI: THE opposition is likely to resume its confrontation in Parliament when the budget session is reconvened on Thursday. Dantewada and the ‘rift’ in Congress on the handling of Maoists and ‘inflation-inducing’ provisions in the budget would be issues that it would take up.

NDA, the largest opposition bloc in Parliament, held a meeting here on Wednesday evening to finalise its strategy for the remaining part of the session, and it was decided that they would press for the suspension of question hour in the two Houses on Thursday to facilitate a discussion on the recent Naxal attack at Dantewada, in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed.

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh’s assault on home minister P Chidambaram’s handling of the problem, they alleged, had brought out contradictions within the ruling alliance, and wanted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clarify the government’s position on the issue.

The BJP-led opposition grouping also decided to move cut motions in the Lok Sabha against provisions of the general budget. In keeping with the floor coordination worked out with other anti-UPA parties, including the Left, NDA also decided to back cut motions put forward by other opposition parties.

The combine also decided to keep up the pressure on the prime minister to drop minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor as, they claimed, he had indulged in action which invited charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Attention would also be rivetted on the fate of the women’s reservation bill, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha during the first half of the budget session, but awaits a verdict on its future in the Lok Sabha, and civil nuclear liability bill, which is set to be referred to the standing committee because of resistance from the entire opposition.

The two Houses will also have to take a call on the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, which seeks to regulate the entry and operations of foreign educational institutions in India; the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and others.