Running of Parliament not only govt's responsibility: Cong

With the Left and the Right joining hands to disrupt Parliament for the fourth day on the issue of FDI in retail, Congress on Wednesday said smooth running of the House was as much a responsibility of the opposition as that of the government.

With the Left and the Right joining hands to disrupt Parliament for the fourth day on the issue of FDI in retail, Congress on Wednesday said smooth running of the House was as much a responsibility of the opposition as that of the government.

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Government has walked the extra mile to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly by accepting BJP's adjournment motion on black money, but the effort failed because the opposition failed to prioritise the issues, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

Alleging a concerted attempt to derail the functioning of Parliament, he reminded the opposition that it was equally responsible for its smooth running.

"Whether it is on the issue of inflation, raising the bogey of blackmoney and now FDI, there is a concerted attempt to derail the functioning of Parliament by the Opposition," he said.

"People of India also need to distinguish between genuine opposition and brinkmanship that the opposition has been indulging in for two-and-a-half years", the Congress leader said.

A senior leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an impression is being created that the onus to run Parliament is only on the ruling party which is not correct.

"We are not the only stakeholders in Parliament. Everybody has equal responsibility to run Parliament as all are equal stakeholders. If they do not want to run Parliament, then let it be so. People will see who is responsible for this," he said.

The party also attacked the opposition in the latest issue of its mouthpiece Congress Sandesh, saying, "Stalling of Parliament on one pretext or another only displays lack of seriousness in legislation and lowers the respect of the people towards the political system. It only stops reforms from taking place when they are most needed."