With the Congress cold to the government’s efforts at buying peace, the BJP and the government went on the offensive Thursday. BJP members submitted a privilege motion against Youth Congress leaders for “attacking” the office of the Speaker by demonstrating outside her residence in protest against the suspension of 25 Congress MPs. In the Rajya Sabha, 30 BJP MPs wrote to the chairman seeking action against Congress MPs protesting in that House. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan appeared hesitant about the privilege motion and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu urged her not to take the issue “personally” as it was about the “institution” of her office. He requested her to send the notice to the privileges committee; the Speaker said she would consider it. “As Parliamentary Affairs Minister, it pains me if somebody goes to the Speaker’s home and holds a demonstration and threatens that they will burn the effigy of the Speaker and then charges the Speaker with partisanship,” Naidu said in the Lok Sabha. “Then, how do you expect the institutions to run effectively? It is nothing but blackmailing, it is nothing but threatening.It is an assault on the parliamentary democracy, it is an assault on the system.” In the Rajya Sabha, the 30 BJP MPs wrote to chairman Hamid Ansari, “You will appreciate that continuous disruption of the House by Congress MPs is not allowing us to discharge our duty as members and we seek action against them under rules.” Party sources said the government had conveyed to Congress floor leaders that it would not accept their demand for the resignation of Union minister Sushma Swaraj and chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, although it was ready to move a resolution in the Lok Sabha on revocation of the suspension. The Congress rejected the offer, they said. Although the government is short of options in getting legislation passed, it will decide its plan of action only on Monday after the suspended MPs come back. “If the MPs continue their aggressive protests, the government has the option to request the Speaker to adjourn the house sine die without proroguing and explore the possibilities of breaking the deadlock without the House being in session. If a deal is struck with the Congress, a small session can be called for the passage of the key GST and land bills,” said a source. A senior minister said the government has the option of turning every bill into a money bill and doing away with the approval of the Rajya Sabha where the NDA is currently in a minority. A government official, however, ruled out any such move.
