 "Congress")
The Congress Party on Tuesday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to create a 'congenial atmosphere' for the upcoming Budget session, adding that the ruling party should also restrain its leadership and spokespersons from making unwarranted remarks.
"The leadership of the Congress or any other political party should not be held responsible or dubbed as 'anti-national' as some leaders from the BJP are trying to project. They should also restrain their spokespersons and the leadership and create a congenial atmosphere so that the Parliament functions smoothly," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, told the media here.
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"I don't think the GST was under discussion. The government wanted to seek the cooperation of the Opposition parties to run the Budget session which we have said we are committed to run the Parliament and each bill shall be passed on merit," he added.
Azad further said that his party has clearly stated that they completely disassociate from 'those who are against our country and against the unity and territorial integrity of the country'.
"Student leadership like Kanhaiya Kumar should not be held responsible for sedition, where there is no proof. Such false cases should not be implicated," he added.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu earlier said that the BJP-led NDA Government was ready to discuss all issues during the upcoming Budget session, saying he was hopeful that the Opposition would cooperate.
"The prime minister told the Opposition MPs that he was not just the PM of the BJP but of the entire nation and that he was ready to discuss all concerns that the Opposition MPs have," Naidu said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today convened a meeting of leaders of major political parties to seek their cooperation for the smooth functioning of Parliament in the Budget session, which will begin next week.
The Budget session will begin on February 23. While the first session will continue till March 16, the second session will take place from April 25 to May 13.
President Pranab Mukherjee will address the joint session of Parliament on February 23. The Railway Budget will be presented on February 25 while the Union Budget will be presented on February 29.
The government has been critical of the Opposition for blocking the House proceedings and important legislations.
