New Delhi: Blaming the government for the ongoing logjam in Rajya Sabha, Opposition parties on Wednesday said their demand for a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of conversion is "legitimate".
CPI-M leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury said under the Constitution the Prime Minister and the government is accountable to the Parliament and so he must give a statement before the House.
"They (the government) are responsible...The Prime Minister is not coming to the House. When there is terror in the country, emotions are flaring high, the Prime Minister should discuss the issue. He is accountable to Parliament."
"He should assure that such anarchic conditions would not happen in future and should put an end to the situation," Yechury said.
The CPI-M MP said the government itself says that the Prime Minister is responsible for any major policy decision, so he must give a statement in the Rajya Sabha.
Refuting the allegations about TMC and CPI-M coming together to corner the government, Yechury said, it was not only the two parties, but other opposition parties, who are rivals in the state, like the BSP and Samajwadi Party, AIADMK and DMK, are on the same page over the issue.
"He is present in the Parliament, so why is he not coming before the House for a discussion," NCP MP Majeed Memon said.
Congress leader Ashwani Kumar said that the opposition's demand of asking the Prime Minister to appear before the Rajya Sabha was a legitimate one.
"The PM has to clarify the government's position in the Rajya Sabha on the issue. This is because of conflicting statements from the MPs and ministers of BJP. Without PM's intervention, there can be no authoritative clarification from the government," Kumar said.
