Agencies. New Delhi A day before the Budget Session of Parliament gets underway, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today held an all-party meeting to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament where the Opposition is all primed to confront the government on a string of issues, including the VVIP chopper deal and the Hindu terror remark of Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
Apart from Kumar, the meeting was attended by Deputy Speaker Karia Munda, Shinde, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and BJP leader L K Advani. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, NDA convenor and JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and Samajwadi Party MP Neeraj Shekhar were among the leaders from various political parties who attended the meeting.
Leaders from UPA ally NCP and outside supporter of the government BSP were conspicuous by their absence. The BJP has said it will raise the chopper scam and the remarks of Shinde on Hindu terror in Parliament. During the meeting, Yadav raised the issue of frequent disruptions of Parliamentary proceedings.
‘’I have requested the Speaker and others to ensure smooth functioning of the House…the attitude which has developed in the last eight years of not letting the House function should end,’’ he told reporters here. He said there should be a proper probe and a detailed debate on scams, especially the one relating to kickbacks involved in the purchase of helicopters for VVIP transportation. Yadav said he would ask for a debate on the land bill and rising prices during the Budget Session.
