'You have ample time but no business': Mallikarjun Kharge tells government

NEW DELHI: "You have ample time and no business," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge today said, taking a swipe at the government and alleging that issues discussed in the Business Advisory Committee are altered according to the wish of the ruling side.

Kharge's remarks came during discussion on a Bill in the Lok Sabha when RSP member N K Premachandran asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar to be serious about allocating time for discussions.

In response, Kumar said business is not allocated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister but by the BAC.

"Whatever we say in BAC, they take it as a suggestion. They alter it as they want. They alter even subjects, Calling Attention, Adjournment Motions under Rule 56 and other things," Kharge said.

The senior Congress leader also wondered whether any Short Notice Question had come for discussion.

"Not a single one has come up.Anyway, we will cooperate with them. We are ready to do it. That is a different thing. But you should agree that you have ample time but no business," he said.

As Premachandran continued to speak on the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016, Kumar again intervened saying the former said two hours was sufficient for the Bill but four hours have been taken.

"I was just calculating the time taken. If we had taken only two hours or 120 minutes, Premachandran's party or he himself would have got three minutes.

"If we had debated the whole thing for four hours, he should have taken six minutes. I am just putting the timer that he has taken 31 minutes.," Kumar said and asked him to conclude.

In response, Premachandran said the Minister's remarks were misleading and that he was actually supporting ways to save time.