Congress: Opposition was ‘compromised’

Mines Secretary Anup K Pujari at Parliament on Friday. (Source: Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

Unhappy over not getting much support in blocking two key bills in Rajya Sabha, Congress alleged the opposition parties were “compromised”, but said it was confident that they would remain united against the land acquisition (amendment) bill.

“Ask them. My charge is that they have been compromised,” Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh said when asked why most opposition parties did not back the Congress’s stand on the mines and minerals and the coal mines bills. “This question should be put to them. They have been compromised for whatsoever reasons. Only the BJP and the concerned parties,” former commerce minister Anand Sharma said.

“Congress is committed to protecting the rights of tribals and farmers. Some parties have different views on some issues. On the issue of land, we are all together… Today we and the Left voted together, but on a number of issues, we have diverse views. In a broader coalition, there will be issues on which people have diverse views,” Sharma said.

Former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, however, sought to downplay Friday’s developments and said the leaders of opposition parties, which helped the government pass these bills, were committed to their support to Congress in opposing the land bill. “It is issue-based unity. There are issues on which we are united, there are issues on which we have diverse views,” he said.

The party, meanwhile, slammed the coal and the mines bills. “This government is ignoring the interests of the labour class. They have used the backdoor to weaken the coal nationalisation act,” Sharma said.

Source:: Indian Express