Govt, oppn should ensure smooth conduct of Parliament, says Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, July 21: The government on Sunday urged the opposition to cooperate and ensure smooth conduct of proceedings in the Parliament’s Budget session, noting the disruptions in both Houses during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the previous session were not upto parliamentary traditions.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, after the conclusion of the all-party meeting, said that smooth conduct of the Parliament is the responsibility of both the government and the opposition. He said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to all political parties to allow the Parliament to function smoothly, highlighting that the disruptions and protests by opposition parties during the Prime Minister’s speech in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the last session were “not in line with parliamentary traditions”.

“When the Prime Minister speaks, the House and the country should listen. Every MP should be heard when they speak,” he added.

Rijiju mentioned that a total of 55 leaders from 44 political parties, including the BJP, attended the all-party meeting, where they presented their respective issues.

Assuring that the government is “open to discussing all issues,” the Union Minister said: “Discussions will be held in the House according to the decisions taken in the BAC meetings of both Houses, in consultation with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.”

He said that the Economic Survey will be presented in the House on July 22, and the Budget will be presented on July 23.

Hoping that the Budget session proceeds smoothly, Rijiju said: “The government will bring a good budget, and everyone is waiting for it. First, there will be a discussion on the Budget, and then the government will bring the bills.”

At the meeting, the Centre briefed all political parties in the House about its agenda and the bills to be discussed during the session. Moreover, the demands for special status for Bihar, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh were also raised during the meeting.