Govt, Opposition refuse to budge as barred MPs continue stir

Impasse between Oppn, government over suspension of 12 MPs from RS continues as neither side concedes any space

The impasse between the Opposition and the government in the Rajya Sabha (RS) over the suspension of 12 RS Members of Parliament (MPs) showed no signs of abating. Barring initial clashes, the Lok Sabha (LS) met to pass the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, even as the Opposition sought to correct the impression it was not ready to let Parliament function.

However, in the Upper House, neither side is budging an inch. RS Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu refused to revoke the suspension of MPs unless they ‘showed remorse’, while Leader of Opposition in the RS Mallikarjun Kharge charged that the