Singh retorts, gives back to NDA on House boycott

A world of difference between what they say and what they do: PM

Virtually charging the Opposition with terminological inexactitude, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave it back to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and said the country should know that there was a "world of difference between what they say and what they do".

Although Singh asked the Opposition to end the boycott of Parliament, he said they themselves were responsible for the current impasse, not the government. "It is not for want of trying on the part of the government or myself," he told the Rajya Sabha.

He said as soon as the NDA announced its decision to boycott the session, he had called up Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha LK Advani, NDA Chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh.

"I requested them let us end this chapter; and all issues can be discussed on the floor of the House," he said adding he was promised by "one of these three that on Monday, they would come for the Finance Bill and thereafter they will decide what they will do". He did not name the person.

"Therefore, the allegations that the House is not able to function because of anything that the government has done, is not borne by facts," an uncharacteristically combative Singh said.

The Prime Minister was responding to observations made by TDP leader R Chandra Sekhar Reddy, whose party ended the boycott, that neither the Prime Minister nor the government tried to resolve the issue.

Reddy said even now the issue could be resolved by inviting the Opposition and persuading it to participate in the proceedings in the larger interest of the nation.

Observing that the way Parliament proceedings had been disrupted in the last two weeks had caused him and the government "great dismay", Singh said, "There is no resolution of the impasse. It is not for want of trying on the part of the government or myself."

Emphasising that the government was prepared to discuss all issues, he said, "I once again appeal to all the leaders of Opposition to be serious and cooperate with us in conducting the business of the House".

"This government is prepared to discuss all the issues and there is no issue which, I think, is barred from discussion in the House," Singh added.

He took serious note of the "type of language" that the NDA had used against him in the memorandum they submitted to President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Singh rejected as "absolutely false" charges levelled against him by the NDA in the memorandum including the NDA accusation that government had tried to persuade Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf not to see Vajpayee.

"This is totally false. Now, this is the length to which the Opposition goes. I think the country should know that between the two, what they say and what they do, there is a world of difference".

The TDP broke rank from the rest of the Opposition and decided to attend the House and there were indications that the Biju Janata Dal was going to follow suit.

Although NDA leaders tried to make light of this development, emphasising that the TDP was not part of the NDA, TDP parliamentary party leader Yerran Naidu said the TDP wanted to emphasise that the "government has to give priority to the Opposition in a democracy".

This is the first time in its seven-year association when the TDP has differed from the BJP barring the issue of the Gujarat riots.