NEW DELHI: Giving a twist to President Pranab Mukherjee’s recent remarks on Ordinances, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said it was aimed at the opposition parties which should “understand the advice” and let Parliament function.
He maintained that the government had to resort to the “extraordinary” route of Ordinances because “development cannot wait”.
Naidu blamed the opposition for stalling bills during the last session of Parliament and appealed to them to let the House function effectively during the Budget session starting February 23.
“He (Mukherjee) said it would be better if Parliament runs smoothly and decides on issues accordingly. We are in agreement with the President’s views,” Naidu told reporters.
“Promulgation of Ordinances is an extraordinary thing.
Ordinarily, an Ordinance is no good and I am saying that as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister. But in extraordinary circumstances, if the House is not allowed to function, the development of the country cannot wait.
“People want development and there is a hunger for development. That is why it was necessary to bring the ordinances… That is why I appeal to all opposition parties to understand the advice given by the President,” he said, adding, “Let us function effectively, debate and decide.”
Mukherjee had recently cautioned against the “Ordinance route” being taken for legislations, saying such action was meant for specific purpose “to meet an extraordinary situation under extraordinary circumstances”.
His comment had come after the government opted for Ordinances in as many months.
A few days later, Mukherjee had said, “Enacting laws without discussion impacts the law-making role of Parliament.
It breaches the trust reposed in it by the people. This is neither good for the democracy nor for the policies relating to those laws.” Seeking the opposition’s cooperation for the smooth running of Parliament, Naidu said if they want to express objection to any issue, they should do so and the government was open to it.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister also targeted opposition parties which are planning to corner the government on the Ordinance issue.
“Those who are raising fingers have the worst records. Congress and United Front government have worse records (on issuing ordinances). They have no moral right to criticize us,” he said.–PTI
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