BJP trying to block food bill: Congress

The Congress on Thursday accused the opposition parties, particularly the BJP, of trying to block the food security bill in parliament.

“Parties are looking at reasons not to pass the food bill. Their main aim is not to let the food bill pass,” Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit told reporters here.

“We did not think so earlier. But it looks like that the opposition parties are playing politics over the food bill,” he said.

The Lok Sabha could not take up Thursday and earlier Tuesday the food bill as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) kept disrupting the house demanding the prime minister’s statement on the missing coal blocks files and opposed a motion to suspend members who were protesting against creation of Telangana.

The Congress spokesperson also justified the government’s move to suspend anti-Telangana members saying “it was a decision taken with a heavy heart but with a sense of responsibility”.

He said “it is disappointing” that the parties which had agreed to the suspension of MPs resolution during earlier discussions with the government, backtracked when it was moved in the house and opposed it.

“It is sad that the parties changed their track in the house,” he said.

He hinted that the speaker may call an all-party meeting Friday to resolve the parliament logjam.

According to Dikshit, the opposition parties were not per se against the concept of suspension of MPs and cited instances in states where action had been taken against opposition members for disrupting house.

Dikshit cited cases of suspension of legislators in Chhattisgarh July 16, West Bengal June 23, Delhi March 22, Andhra Pradesh March 18, Maharashtra Dec 3, 2010 and Odisha Dec 12, 2008 for disrupting the respective houses.

-IANS