Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday voiced hope that the monsoon session of Parliament will be fruitful and that promises made by "some political parties" during the last session to allow work on priority will be kept.
Underlining that the all-party meeting on Monday was held in a "good atmposphere", he said the government's effort has always been to take collective decisions to push the country ahead in the path of development.
"In the last session, some political parties had given the assurance that in the next session, some work will be done on priority. I am hopeful that good decisions and more decisions will be taken in this session," he told media persons in Parliament complex on the first day of the Monsoon Session.
Modi thanked the MPs for their support during the Budget Session and hoped that all parliamentarians will contribute towards good quality debates and support the business and proceedings.
Setting the stage for confrontation in Parliament, an all-party meeting called in New Delhi on Monday yesterday had ended in a deadlock over controversies related to Lalit Modi and Vyapam scam even as the Prime Minister offered to discuss all issues.
The prime minister chose the occasion to remind parties that smooth running of Parliament is a "shared responsibility" though the government has to take initiative for it.
He appealed to them to utilise Parliament time for discussing all issues.
While the Congress has made it clear that it will not allow Parliament to function unless BJP leaders facing allegations quit, the government has asserted that there will be no resignations and that it will not give in to any ultimatum.
BJP launches counter-attack
Countering Congress' attack, the Bharatitya Janata Party said it was ready for discussion on all issues including on "damaad (son-in-law) and Quatrocchi", besides the "scams" in Congress-ruled states.
"The government is willing to discuss everything. We have nothing to hide, nothing to worry," Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.
He said that many BJP MPs have given notices for discussion on scams in Congress-ruled states.
His deputy Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi took on the Congress saying that they are ready for discussion on all issues but the opposition party "wants only disruption".
"This is nothing more than the noise of skeletons of Congress' corruption. We are ready to discuss pending issues from 'damaad' to Quattrocchi," he said, referring to the controversial land deals of Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and the Bofors scam.
The ruling alliance was ready to discuss "Kerala fodder scam, Goa watergate project scam, Uttarkhand flood scam, Himachal Pradesh steel scam," he said.
Stressing that BJP MPs have given notices for discussion on these "scams", Naqvi said the government was prepared with its reply to Congress' charges.
"This out of tune chorus of dishonest Congress will utterly fail. As far as passage of bills is concerned, they are not BJP's bills but meant for the countrymen and the poor," he said.
Talking about Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's comments that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 56-inch chest will be reduced to 5.6 inches, Naidu said, "It is really absurd and Congress should rather ponder why their number has come down to just 44 MPs".
Taking on Rahul over his comments that Congress will not allow even an inch of land to be taken by the government, the senior minister said, "It means that they are not going to allow development of this country and this is not acceptable".
He added that at all-party meeting, the overwhelming view of parties except Congress was that Parliament should function.
"Are we going to discuss state related issues? That is to be discussed and decided," he said.
When asked if he thinks that onus to run the House is also on opposition, he shot back asking whether the House means only ruling party.
"Everybody has a responsibility to run Parliament," he said.
