PM’s speech, economic slowdown create storm in Parliament

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took on one another over the country’s ailing economic situation. The principal Oppositon party demanded an early general elections with veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani requesting President Pranab Mukherjee to look into the issue.

The Prime Minister, often criticized for maintaining silence on major issues, accused the BJP of continuously ‘opposing and criticizing’ the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

This remark went on to create commotion, with BJP members protesting loudly. Manmohan Singh continued his aggression, “Have you ever heard of a situation in any Parliament where the Prime Minister is not allowed to introduce his council of ministers? Have you ever heard of any other country where primary opposition walks to the well of the house and shouts ‘PM chor hai” (PM is thief),” he asked pointedly.

Jaitley said that the House wants to know about the measures taken by the government to battle the current economic situation and was not interested in political sermons. Asked what the government was doing to curb corruption, Manmohan Singh said this should not be a reason to disrupt Parliament. The war of words did not end in Parliament.

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who heads the Opposition in Lok Sabha, wrote on social networking website Twitter , “The rupee has lost its value, the Prime Minister has lost his grace.”

Separately, the BJP called for early parliamentary elections to end the present atmosphere of ‘uncertainty’ in the country. BJP leader LK Advani said that the request was made to President Pranab Mukherjee.

“The way to end the present scenario of uncertainty in the country is that the Lok Sabha election, scheduled to be held in 2014, should be held in 2013 itself along with Assembly elections,” Advani said.

“The free fall of the Indian rupee against the US dollar is only a symptom of the deeper malaise afflicting the Indian economy today,” a memorandum submitted to the president said. “We have come to urge you, therefore, to end the prevailing uncertainty by advising this government to seek a fresh mandate at the earliest and not later than the state elections, due in the next three months,” it said.

Assembly elections are due in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan during the end of this year.