Rahul poured cold water on PM's initiative: Oppn

The Opposition on Saturday sought to drive a wedge between the prime minister and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi saying the young leader's remarks on Anna Hazare's fast has "poured cold water" on the statesmanship of Manmohan Singh.

"Was Rahul's speech a Zero Hour intervention or an address to the nation," asked Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj while initiating a day-long debate in the Lok  Sabha on the issues relating to the setting up of a Lokpal.

The debate was held on a day when Hazare's fast entered the 12th day and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, whose statement formed the basis of the discussion, made a renewed appeal to the Gandhian to end his hunger strike.

Swaraj insisted that Rahul's remarks were the line of the Congress party which "poured cold water on the statesmanship displayed by the prime minister on the floor of the House" a couple of days back in a bid to end the impasse.

Amid objections and protests from Congress members, Swaraj also took a dig at Speaker Meira Kumar who was in the Chair, for allowing Gandhi to speak for so long while other  members are restricted to just three to five minutes during the Zero Hour.

Unruffled by the protests including an objection by Minister Srikant Jena, Swaraj accused the government of failing to come up with a resolution or a statement by a senior minister yesterday which could have facilitated a debate straight away.

This, she said, was because the government was not ready to make a commitment on the Lokpal issue.

Noting the absence of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in the House, Swaraj said the young leader comes rarely to Parliament. He may be general secretary of the Congress, but in the House he is just a Second-term member, she remarked.

At one point, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal reminded her that she was diverting from the issue.

"Yesterday when he (Gandhi) came and started speaking in the Zero Hour, even the Prime Minister came rushing," she said, adding that the young leader had come to give his party's line on the controversial issue.

Swaraj suggested that Rahul gave a different line by telling the House that "it is not a matter of how the present impasse will resolve, it is a much greater battle. There are no simple solutions..."

She also said it was amusing that the Congress general secretary spoke of greater democracy within political parties.

She, however, said she was happy that the prime minister has taken the "reins in his hands once again" for resolving the issue.

The senior BJP leader admitted the failure of her party in enacting a Lokpal when it got opportunity twice during the National Democratic Alliance rule.