In a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party for stalling Parliament and targeting Home Minister P Chidambaram on the 2G issue, the Congress on Tuesday accused it of "irresponsible behaviour" in disrupting proceedings every session with one "triviality or the other" for "cheap gains".
"Congress party condemns in strongest possible terms the utterly irresponsible behaviour of BJP for disrupting proceedings right from the word go," party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
He said Parliament sessions came and went like seasons and BJP was disrupting proceedings under "one triviality or the other or some pretence."
"Their excuses may vary but the result is same," he said.
'For some cheap gains, BJP is ignoring important bills'
The Lok Sabha was adjourned on the first day of the winter session after the BJP and other opposition members paralysed the House on issues including Chidambaram's alleged complicity in the 2G spectrum allocation scam and the Telangana row.
Criticising BJP's demand for Chidambaram's resignation, Singhvi said, "Tomorrow can they stall the Parliament demanding the resignation of the entire Cabinet?
"Is it fair? Can they say they cannot wait for the court order (on Chidambaram's alleged role)? The BJP, for some cheap gains, is ignoring 31 important bills (due in the winter session). It is important to expose them and their double-faced hypocrisy," he argued.
'We have never targeted individuals'
National Democratic Alliance's decision to boycott Home Minister P Chidambaram in Parliament has not found favour with any other party, with the Communist Party of India - Marxist, Communist Party of India, Rashtriya Lok Dal and Rashtriya Janata Dal categorically opposing the move.
"We have never targeted individuals or favoured the boycott of anyone. Our target is only the policies or acts of omission and commission," said CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury
CPI leaders also said that while the entire Opposition was united on the issue of price rise, it did not support NDA's decision to boycott Chidambaram over the 2G issue.
'This is too much'
"We are not for boycott of any minister .There are no made for each other propositions in politics. We know who P Chidambaram is. We will expose him inside and outside Parliament," CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta told reporters.
Denouncing the NDA decision, RJD chief Lalu Prasad said in Lok Sabha, "This is too much. We will not accept that the home minister will not be allowed to speak in the name of boycott."
RLD chief Ajit Singh was of the view that this was "no way to raise an issue", especially when the matter was sub- judice.
"Such matters should be debated on floor of the House under established practices and procedures," Singh said.
'There is no logjam in Parliament'
Meanwhile, the BJP said it did not want to create any logjam in Parliament and maintained it had decided to boycott only Home Minister P Chidambaram and not the government.
"There is no logjam in Parliament. We are all interested in Parliament functioning. We are all interested in worthwhile debates in Parliament. And if the government does not create problems then we can look forward to a very useful session of parliament," said BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.
Asked if the BJP's anti-Chidambaram stance will not scuttle the current winter session of Parliament, Sinha said, "It is not so, because we have picked up Chidambaram alone and not the government."
'Why should we not want the House to function'
He also expressed hope of better floor coordination with the Left Front in Parliament, as "broadly agreed upon" between them, to present a collective fight of the united opposition against the "wrong" policies of the government.
He said the BJP wanted Parliament to function and government should agree to their "reasonable" demand for discussions on price rise and black money.
Asked what the BJP's stand would be if the government did not agree to their demand, he said, "We will press for the adjournment motion. We will continue to reason with the government to accept our adjournment motion on black money."
He said, "The presumption is that the House will not function. I don't buy this argument that the House will not function. We will all try our best to ensure that the House functions. Because we have issue after issue on which we can put the government on the mat. Why should we not want the House to function?"
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