E-Paper
Rail budget boycott on cards
Laloo Yadav will present his maiden budget to a Lok Sabha that is likely to be nearly empty on one side.
A few hours from the time you read this, Railway Minister Laloo Yadav will present his maiden budget to a Lok Sabha that is likely to be nearly empty on one side. Probably the first-ever opposition boycott of India's rail budget appeared a certainty on Monday evening.
On a day of continued agitation by the NDA on the issue of 'tainted' ministers (the list of whom Laloo heads), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rang his predecessor A.B. Vajpayee and Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani to request the NDA's cooperation in Parliament.
The PM's message was understood to have been the same as the one Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had for the BJP: "We are willing to discuss all issues, please don't boycott because it will help nobody."
The NDA began Day 1 of the budget session by successfully stalling proceedings in both Houses. In the Lok Sabha, MPs rushed into the well immediately after new member Yerran Naidu took oath, shouting "daagi mantri hatao, desh bachao (remove tainted ministers, save nation)".
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee began with repeated requests for order and an hour's adjournment but was ultimately forced to call it a day some time after noon. Afterwards, he met with leaders from all parties to discuss the running of the House.
At this meeting, BJP Chief Whip V.K. Malhotra told Chatterjee the NDA would take a "final decision" on boycotting Laloo's speech at a meeting of its MPs on Tuesday morning. The meeting is unlikely to rethink the boycott, but the NDA will probably participate in the discussions on the budget that will follow.
Meanwhile, peace talks between the government and the NDA were likely to continue through Monday night.
