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Rijiju also said that eyewitness accounts to BJP floor leaders have clearly blamed Rahul Gandhi for the incident at Parliament’s Makar Dwar this week
BJP leader and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju. (File photo: PTI)
Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju has expressed hope that next year’s budget session may not be as stormy as the recent winter session. Rijiju also slammed Rahul Gandhi for what happened at Parliament’s Makar Dwar on the penultimate day of the winter session this week and said even well-meaning MPs of the Congress were being forced by the Lok Sabha’s leader of the opposition to “toe a negative line”.
“Let me be very honest. Even the opposition parties feel their responsibilities (towards Parliament), but one leader of the Congress probably forces them to act in such a manner. Otherwise, you don’t come to Parliament for a physical fight. You are there to show your vocal power, not your physical power,” Rijiju told CNN-News18 in an exclusive conversation on Saturday.
Asked if there was any scope for a better working relationship between the government and the opposition in the budget session, Rijiju expressed hope.
“This time the opposition parties were misguided by their leaders. Good sense will prevail. I am very hopeful that next time they will not create this kind of situation in the budget session,” Rijiju said.
The parliamentary affairs minister also indicated that the government was open to carrying forward legislative business even without the opposition if the situation demanded.
“We have the numbers, and we have to run the government…We have to fulfil the obligations that are there in the Constitution for serving the nation. There are certain things that we have to do. Even if opposition parties disturb the house, we are bound to carry out the business,” Rijiju said. “In the winter session, we did not have that kind of bills or budget that had to be mandatorily passed by Parliament. So we did not push for bills to be passed in the din. But if the opposition continues (this way), then we will be forced to get the bills passed in the din. We don’t want to show that we disregard the opposition. We respect them. But they have to cooperate.”
On Makar Dwar incident
Rijiju said that eyewitness accounts to BJP floor leaders have clearly blamed Rahul Gandhi for the incident at Makar Dwar.
“Everyone who was there witnessed (what happened). Because Makar Dwar is the main gate for the MPs to enter. I, the Prime Minister and some of the other ministers, the speaker…we enter from another gate. I am a minister, so I can’t be part of the protest, but others saw what happened. The Congress party and some of their allies have been holding placards and protesting on the stairs leading to the Makar Dwar to go inside the house (for the last few days),” the minister said. “So when the Congress party continuously tried to block that particular gate and started to demonstrate in the stair area, the BJP MPs and NDA MPs also thought that it was befitting to stand there and protest against the Congress party’s misdeeds and all the past insults on Ambedkar and other unconstitutional actions of the Congress. So, when our party MPs were there, it seemed Rahul Gandhi and his people forcibly tried to enter inside. So there Rahul Gandhi caused injury to two of our MPs. I don’t know why Rahul Gandhi has acted in this particular manner.”
He added that the decision to hand over CCTV footage to police will be taken by the speaker. Rijiju also said that the privilege notices against Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge are alive and the speaker will decide on them.
On the One Nation, One Election bill
Riju exuded confidence about the One Nation, One Election bill. The opposition has alleged that the BJP lacks the numbers for the passage of the bill. Rijiju said he is confident that all opposition parties will come out in support of the bill.
“The sentiment in the country right now is to stop wasteful expenditure. In the first 17 years after independence, it was one nation and one election. Does the Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi mean that everything that was done by governments then, till 1967, including governments led by Jawaharlal Nehru, was unconstitutional? Because assembly and Lok Sabha elections were held at the same time. I am sure that they will ultimately have to bow down to the pressure and the wishes of the people,” Rijiju said.
