The government, Derek O'Brien said, has used the "excuse of Covid" to keep the media out. (File photo)
Trinamool Congress's Derek O Brien has suggested that it is the government which benefits when parliament is disrupted, as it can avoid facing questions on serious issues like inflation. Speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview shortly after four Congress MPs were suspended for bringing placards and raising slogans in the House demanding a discussion on inflation, Mr O Brien said, "Throughout the budget session the opposition wanted a discussion on one key issue -- price rise."
But there was no discussion, he said. "This time it is the same thing -- the opposition wanted a discussion on price rise and the government will do all it takes not to have a discussion on price rise and then they will spin it to say the opposition is disrupting parliament," he said.
Then he added, "The Government is responsible to parliament and the parliament is responsible to the people. So once the government disrupts parliament, they are answerable to no one".
The government, Mr O'Brien said, has used the "excuse of Covid" to keep the media out.
"Just think about what is happening. You are keeping the media out of parliament. You don't want a discussion in parliament. And there are some reality checks on numbers. How many questions the Prime Minister has answered in the floor of the Rajya Sabha? The answer is Zero. How many bills are scrutinised in parliament? From a number of 65 to 70 per cent, it has come down to 12 per cent. These are very, very serious issues," he said.
Even today, he said parliament was adjourned when it was the turn of opposition MPs to question the government. In contrast, the government spoke for about two hours in the afternoon despite slogan shouting by the opposition. There was no adjournment at the time.
Calling it a "crisis" in parliament, he said the government is building a swanky new parliament house but it has "no soul".
This morning, Congress's Manickam Tagore, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and TN Prathapan. had brought placards even after being warned against such acts at the all-party meeting, Speaker Om Birla had said. All four have been suspended for the rest of the Monsoon Session, which continues till August 12.
Asked if the discussion on price rise could not have waited till finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman recovered from Covid, the opposition leaders pointed out that the government could have deputed another MP or minister to speak on the subject after a briefing, as is normally the practice.