It is important for House to run in Budget Session: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar

NEW DELHI: As Parliament remains paralysed over coal scam and other issues, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Wednesday said it is important to run the House and get the financial bills passed during the Budget Session.

"It is important for the House to run, especially when it is the Budget Session, as we have to pass financial bills which is a constitutional requirement," she said.

Kumar was talking to reporters after unveiling a bust of K M Munshi on his 125 birth anniversary at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan here. Munshi had founded Bhavan in 1938.

When asked how she plans to resolve the situation, she said, "I have been appealing to all the members to ensure that the House functions."

Kumar, however, refused to respond to questions over BJP's decision to boycott meetings convened by her and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath.

"I don't want to discuss the matter in public," she said. Opposition parties have been disrupting Parliament on the CBI's coal scam report for the Supreme Court being vetted by Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and officials in PMO.

They have been demanding the resignation of the Law Minister and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

BJP had yesterday also decided to boycott meetings convened by the Speaker and Parliamentary Affairs Minister. The session is scheduled to conclude on May 10.

Earlier, addressing the gathering, Kumar expressed her concern over the rising incidents of crime against women.

Exhorting the people to work together in protecting the dignity of women, she said the problem will not be solved only with the law.