New Delhi, Nov 25: The Winter session of Parliament beginning tomorrow is expected to be a stormy affair, with the opposition set to raise the ‘intolerance’ issue and press for a resolution to condemn it even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the House should run meaningfully and constructively.
Keen to pass key reform bills like GST and ensure a smooth session, government today reached out to opposition parties saying it “does not support or condone” such incidents and is aware of their concerns on “unfortunate incidents like Dadri and killing of M M Kalburgi”.
An all-party meeting held here in the backdrop of cine actor Aamir Khan’s remarks on ‘intolerance’ saw opposition parties making a strong pitch for an early discussion on the issue, insisting that the returning of awards by writers, artistes and filmmakers should not be taken lightly.
Assuring the members on this count, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, “government is ready to discuss all issues including that of the so-called intolerance though it falls in the domain of states. We do not support or condone such incidents.”
He noted that the Prime Minister has already said that such incidents are sad, undesirable and unfortunate.
Modi, who attended the meeting briefly, said Parliament should run meaningfully and constructively to fulfill the people’s expectations.
Modi assured the Opposition leaders that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will talk to them to address their concerns, if any, on the key reform measure.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who was in Bengaluru, said, “We are going to raise the issue of intolerance. What is happening in the country is disturbing and the Prime Minister is silent.”
CPI-M General Secreatry Sitaram Yechury said he has given a notice in Rajya Sabha seeking passage of a one-line resolution by the House condemning the incidents of “intolerance” and asking the government to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
