NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
The Congress on Tuesday refused to pull down the Vajpayee government over the Unit Trust of India controversy but indicated that it would continue stalling both Houses of Parliament "until the prime minister and the finance minister come clean".
Asked specifically why it was fighting shy of demanding Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's resignation over the UTI issue, party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said, "We would like the prime minister to state the facts first."
Reddy, however, rejected the suggestion that his party's reluctance to demand the prime minister's resignation stemmed from its awareness that there was no viable alternative to the Vajpayee government.
"The prime minister's refusal to respond (to the opposition clarifications on UTI) speaks volumes about his own sense of guilt," he said.
"Vajpayee cannot get away with studied, conspiratorial silence," he added.
Reacting to this, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the opposition was not interested in the smooth functioning of Parliament.
"In two weeks (of the ongoing monsoon session), Parliament has done business for just two days because of the opposition's stalling tactics," Malhotra told rediff.com
"The government had approximately 50 bills to pass and important parliamentary business to do," he said.
The spokesman pointed out that Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani was to make a statement on Phoolan Devi in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday but the opposition members had raised a ruckus, ultimately forcing the adjournment of the House.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
