New Delhi: The Congress wants the BJP to clarify why the latter had opposed the reform bills — including the Insurance Bill, GST, FDI in retail during the Manmohan Singh government for ten years when they were in the Opposition.
The Congress members in the Rajya Sabha are in no mood to cooperate with the government on the reform bills at a time when the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are making the religious conversions as the main issue, and thereby encouraging ghar wapsi (return to Hindu fold) programmes.
According to the Congress legislators, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should put the record straight on the reconversion issue in the Parliament before the current session concludes on Tuesday.
Congress MP Husain Dalwai on Sunday said the BJP and its Union minister must clarify as to why they had opposed the reform bills in the last ten years. He also sought the reason behind the decision.
Former Union ministers of the Congress may be wanting to help the government in passing the reform bills, but the hardliners have been opposing it fearing that it will make the Congress as a B team of the BJP and the Centre.
They (the BJP and Sangh Parivar) are polarising people to win elections on one hand and wanting the Congress to support their bills.
They had refused to grant the Leader of Opposition status in the Lok Sabha despite the UPA had shown it has more than 50 members in the House and won the 2014 general election under the UPA banner.
The BJP had launched a bitter campaign against the Congress and its leadership appealing the people to make the Congress mukta Bharat (a Congress-free India).
Meanwhile, parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu is confident that the Insurance Bill would be taken up for consideration and eventually passed with the support of Opposition before the Winter Session of Parliament concludes in the next two days.
“We will make all efforts because, people’s interest is important. I am already talking to Opposition parties, appealing to them to understand the situation. I am still confident. I am optimistic that tomorrow they will try to help us,” Mr Naidu told reporters in Hyderabad.
