NDA to boycott House panels

After stalling parliamentary proceedings over the Sibu Soren issue, the Opposition NDA decided to boycott the consultative and standing committees of Parliament protesting against the "confrontationist" approach of the UPA government towards it.

"The BJP-led NDA has decided to boycott all the consultative and standing committees because of the negative and confrontationist attitude of the ruling party towards the Opposition," BJP vice-president and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. He said the decision was taken at a meeting of NDA.

The hour-long meeting at former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence was attended among others by Leader of Opposition LK Advani, NDA convener George Fernandes, senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and VK Malhotra and Dinesh Trivedi (AITC).

Malhotra said the ruling combine's "negative and confrontationist" attitude was evident  in its response to the Opposition's demand for the dismissal of "tainted" ministers, but also the condemnation of the entire Opposition by the leader of Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee on the day the parliament adjourned for recess.

A 27-member NDA delegation, led by Advani, had yesterday met President APJ Abdul Kalam seeking his intervention for dismissal of "tainted" persons from the union council of ministers.