Bihar verdict must not be seen as 'mandate to disrupt Parliament': Government

New Delhi:The BJP led NDA government today reached out to the opposition memebers to pass key bills in the Winter session of Parliament. The session which will begin from November 26 is expected to be a chaotic affair after a poor show by the BJP led NDA coalition in Bihar just like the monsoon session.

The government today reached out to the Opposition to pass key reform Bills and urged them to not interpret the poll result as a “mandate to disrupt Parliament”, which is set to meet for its Winter Session between November 26-December 23.  

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh also took a decision today to call a special two-day sitting of Parliament on the first two days of the session to commemorate the adoption of the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949, and honour its architect, Dalit icon BR Ambedkar.

“CCPA met today and decided to call winter session from November 26, which will continue till December 23 depending on the exigencies of business,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after the meeting, which was attended by top leaders of the ruling alliance, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj could not attend the meeting.Naidu said that a two-day special sitting of both Houses will be held on November 26 and November 27 to commemorate the adoption of the the Constitution.

“Since we are celebrating the birth centenary of Ambedkar ji, we have decided we will be discussing in Parliament the commitment to the Constitution and the contribution of Ambedkar to it.

Hence, there will be no Question Hour in the House on the first two days,” Naidu said.  The decision comes at a time when the government is under attack from academicians and intellectuals on the issue of “intolerance”.

Meanwhile, talking about the Bihar Assembly poll results, Naidu said that while he welcomes the popular mandate, he is “disturbed” by media reports that opposition parties in Parliament will now be more emboldened to unite and stall the government's Parliamentary agenda for the winter session.  

“All concerned need to understand the Bihar verdict in the right perspective. People of Bihar want development just like people in the other states.

To realise rapid economic growth, we need to have the right environment in place, which requires considered reforms.

“To interpret Bihar verdict in any other manner only amounts to questioning the wisdom of the people of the state.  All parties have to understand it and enable Parliament to pass the reform measures. Bihar verdict is a clear statement of people's aspirations. It should not be interpreted as a mandate to obstruct Parliament,” Naidu said.

Noting that Opposition parties may have some issue, Naidu said that the government is willing to walk the “extra mile” to accommodate them.
Asked about Congress's insistence on seven amendments in the GST Bill, he said that can be discussed in the House.
Asked about the Opposition likely raking up the“intolerance” issue, he advised them to show “tolerance” by allowing a debate on it in Parliament, instead of protesting outside.

Talking about the Bihar polls, Naidu projected it as an event whose impact is localised. The Bihar result reflects the mood of the people in that state and “not the national mood”, he said.

“It would be wrong to see the Bihar verdict as reflecting the mood of the nation. Assembly elections are based on local factors and situations and social arithmetic has gone in favour of BJP's opponents.

“People have given their mandate on a local level and we have accepted that,” he said, adding that his party would analyse the results in detail and move forward.  The minister said that to suggest that the Bihar verdict will make opposition more aggressive and obstructionist is not really comforting for the people of Bihar as well as the country.

He hoped that on the contrary, yesterday's result should be propelling all parties into constructive cooperation in the larger interest of Bihar and other states that make India.  

Naidu said that during the separate special sittings of both Houses of Parliament, a discussion will be held on the “Commitment to the Constitution” as a part of 125th birth anniversary celebration of Ambedkar and November 26 will be observed as ‘Constitution Day' commemorating the acceptance of Draft Constitution on November 26, 1949.  “Question Hour and Zero Hour will be dispensed with on these two days,” he said.

Naidu urged the opposition parties to cooperate in passing of pending bills including the one on GST.  Replying to questions, he said that the measures for introduction of GST and Real Estate Regulator were initiated long back and needed to be taken to their logical conclusion given the benefits that flow.

Opposition parties may have some concerns and the government is always willing to sit with them and address them. “This has been our approach since assumption of office last year,” he said.

“We will consult them. The GST bill was originally brought by the Congress. Various concerns have been taken on board since then. It has undergone a sea change. Any further suggestion has to be discussed on the basis of merit. What is necessary will be done as per the parliamentary practice,” Naidu said.

To a specific question on the Opposition seeking to corner the government on the issue of ‘intolerance', he said, “All these can be taken up in a discussion. First one has to talk with tolerance to discuss any issue including intolerance.”

Sources said that there are eight pending bills in Lok Sabha and 11 in Rajya Sabha. Key pending bills include land bill pending before a Joint Committee of Parliament. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had some time back hinted at a possible consensus on the issues.

( With PTI Inputs)