NDA plans debate in Lok Sabha on a motion on IPL issue

NEW DELHI: With Congress, some allies and Left unrelenting in their House protest over the LaMo-Vyapam issues, the government is toying with plan-B to facilitate a discussion in the Lok Sabha on a motion on the ‘ IPL issue’ under a non-voting rule, with a provision for external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene during the course of the debate or reply at the end of it, sources said.

The plan to bring the motion under Rule 193 and wording of the subject as ‘IPL issue’ are designed to sidestep the Congress-Left demand that a debate on the LaMo-Vyapam issue can follow only after the resignation of Swaraj and two CMs. It is also aimed at ending the Opposition unity by getting parties such as BJD, SP, AIADMK and TRS to participate in the debate, even if the Speaker contemplates another round of suspension of protesting MPs.

The aim is to record the debate and Swaraj’s reply in the House proceedings so that it can later argue that LaMo can’t be taken up in the House, as the government plans to focus on completing legislative businesses, sources added. Two members — one from BJP and other from TRS — were shortlisted on Monday evening to give notices to the Speaker to bring such motions.




Similar course could be tried in the RS. That the plan could face opposition from Congress was evident when its representative KC Venugopal walked out of Monday’s business advisory committee meeting when minister of state for parliamentary affairs RP Rudy mooted the idea on Monday afternoon. However, the government is banking on support from AIADMK, SP, BJD, AIADMK, etc, in addition to NDA parties, to implement the plan.

The government’s efforts bore fruit when Mulayam Singh Yadav got up during Congress MPs’ protest to suggest to the Speaker to call a meeting of floor leaders to discuss how the deadlock could be broken. Congress and Left leaders were of the opinion that the SP chief was making a choreographed intervention with tactical understanding of the ruling side.

Soon, the Speaker called a meeting of the floor leaders, where Yadav underlined the need for MPs to take up constituency-related issues by putting an end to the deadlock. Congress representatives — Mallikarjun Kharge, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Venugopal — rejected Yadav’s stand and reiterated that ministers must resign to enable any discussion. The Speaker asked floor leaders to discuss the proposal with their respective party leaders.