Finance Minister Arun Jaitley responds to opposition protests as PM Narendra Modi watches
Attacking the ruling BJP on religious conversions, a united opposition today demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present in the Rajya Sabha. (
Winter Session of Parliament: Track LIVE Updates here)
Opposition parties led by the Congress insisted that PM Modi must reply to a discussion on "rising instances of communal violence" in the country, forcing repeated adjournments.
Congress leader Anand Sharma accused the government of displaying "arrogance" by not agreeing to their demand.
"The opposition cannot dictate who will reply to a debate," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the leader of the house, asserting that Home Minister Rajnath Singh, not PM Modi, would respond to the discussion.
Mr Jaitley said the Lok Sabha was functioning smoothly while the Rajya Sabha was not, and this indicated "arrogance of numbers, not the arrogance of the government."
Left MP Sitaram Yechury shot back that the Lok Sabha was functioning because of "tyranny of majority."
The government has faced protests in the Rajya Sabha - where it is in a minority - since the mass conversion of nearly 60 Muslim families in Agra in Uttar Pradesh last week, allegedly by groups linked to the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). (
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Sources say the BJP has decided that it will not "not give an inch" on the demand for PM Modi's statement on religious conversions, after an assessment that the repeated calls for an intervention by the PM is an attempt to build a perception that he is not in control of members of his party and the government.
The conversions row stalled work in the first half of a day the government has set aside for its key reform, the Insurance Bill, which seeks to raise a cap on foreign direct investment in insurance to 49 percent.
There are four working days left of the Winter session of Parliament and the government needs to push a number of key legislation, including its other major reform, the Goods and Services Tax or GST. (Also Read -
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The government, said sources, is looking at the option of pushing the Insurance Bill, as an Ordinance or executive order after the session if the logjam does not end. The session ends on December 23, and most of the 22 sittings have been marred by opposition protests, especially in the Rajya Sabha.