Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
NEW DELHI: Call off the protests or you’re on your own, Mulayam Singh Yadav, an important constituent of the Opposition, warned the Congress today, as the party continued disruptions that prevented parliament from getting to work.
Mr Yadav, 75, heads the Samajwadi Party, which has expressed solidarity with the Congress against the suspension of 25 of its parliamentarians for unruly behaviour.
But “enough is enough”, he said today, “we will not back you if you keep protesting.”
The Monsoon Session of Parliament, which ends in four days, has been gridlocked, forcing important legislation on ice, with the Congress adamant that the government must remove three top leaders enveloped in major controversies. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje have been accused of illicit support to tainted cricket mogul Lalit Modi. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is embattled in allegations of a major exam and job fraud in Madhya Pradesh.
The BJP has ruled out resignations, but has urged the Congress to allow a debate, with the offer that the PM will comment on the controversies. The Congress has been unmoved.
Yesterday, at a rally, the PM, who has not publicly remarked on the scandals, praised Chief Ministers Raje and Chouhan for their leadership in “lifting backward states”.
Last week, 25 Congress members of the Lok Sabha were suspended for five days for brandishing placards and rushing to the well of the House. The penalty, pronounced as “the murder of democracy” by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, saw major parties uniting against the government for what they described as an attempt to block dissent.
