New Delhi: The Opposition leaders on Tuesday brokered for peace to end the Parliament impasse since start of the second half of the budget session on Monday and the government immediately came forward to hold the discussions in both the Houses on Delhi riots.
There was, however, no clarity whether the debate begins on Wednesday as offered by Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, leader of House in the Rajya Sabha, in the House or only on Wednesday next week after the Holi festival as declared by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
In response to Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad saying it is like having medicine a week after the headache if the debate only next week and wanted the Indian Parliament not to delay even condolences for those killed in the violence when the entire world has reacted, Gehlot said: "The government is ready for discussion tomorrow (Wednesday) if the Chairman decides." The BJP's Bhupinder Yadav intervened that the Chairman should not be forced.
No immediate fixing of the debate date in the Rajya Sabha provoked the Opposition to come into the well and agitate that forced Deputy Chairman Harivansh to adjourn the House in the post-lunch session for an hour and then for the day to let the Chairman decide the date for the crucial debate.
The Lok Sabha Speaker announced in the post-lunch sitting that the discussion will be held on March 11, immediately after the Holi festival on the previous day, as agreed upon by the government and let the members celebrate the festival in the most amicable manner. He, however, adjourned the House for the day after 20 minutes of noisy scenes from both sides.
The Opposition created a ruckus in the Lok Sabha well, protesting that it cannot agree to put the debate on hold for one week on such a burning issue. Speaker Om Birla, however, carried on passage of a government Bill on Rs 5-lakh guarantee on bank deposits amid the pandemonium that was also joined by the ruling BJP member and then adjourned for the day.
There are only three more sittings this week before a 4-day break from Saturday to Tuesday.
The first light of a truce came from a statement in the Lok Sabha by Parliament Minister Pralhad Joshi in the morning, after a meeting with Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma. He declared that the government was ready for discussion but the timing is to be decided by the Speaker. He also cited the government's constitutional obligation to get the Finance Bill passed in this session.
On Monday, both Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu ruled that they would permit the discussion but only after return of the normalcy and not immediately.
The government appears relenting to have the discussion on the Delhi riots simultaneously in both the Houses but only the next week and not in a day or two as the Opposition wanted as it does not want the month-long session washed out by blocking the discussions.
Anand Sharma told reporters that the impasse would end if the government does not remain adamant. He claimed an assurance by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister that Home Minister Amit Shah would respond to debate in both the Houses.
