Govt wants to avoid talks on Gulf crisis, says Rahul

New Delhi: Congress' Rahul Gandhi on Monday said Modi govt wants to avoid a discussion on West Asia crisis because it will lead to questions of how the "PM is being blackmailed". His remark indicates that the Israel-US war against Iran is the fresh friction point between opposition and govt and will dog the Budget session.

Opposition decided to demand a discussion on West Asia war, believing the global development is a subject that can be used to corner govt, given the growing perception that BJP has taken sides in the conflict.




Rahul said the war is a "fight to change the paradigm" which, coupled with the US trade deal signed by Modi, will badly hurt Indian economy. "They don't want to discuss this as it will lead to other issues. It will expose the PM's position, the way he has compromised... the way he is being blackmailed," he said, adding, "the PM ran away (from Parliament) and will not return. You watch."

Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav (SP), NK Premachandran (RSP), Sandosh Kumar (CPI), and those from TMC, DMK, IUML protested "govt's silence" on the war.

India bloc leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav (SP), NK Premachandran (RSP), Sandosh Kumar (CPI), and those from TMC, DMK, IUML held a large protest in the Parliament complex over the “govt’s silence” on the war.

Congress has seized upon the war -- the PM’s Israel visit took place just two days before the start of the bombardment of Iran and the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader -- to attack the govt. The Opposition argues the ruling BJP will find it difficult to discuss the raging issue as it would force the govt to take a stand on its various dimensions, from trade to energy to strategic. That seems to make the issue particularly tempting for Opposition.

The discussion could be a political trap too. While Congress MP KC Venugopal said it can be held under a parliamentary provision without voting, AICC spokesman Jairam Ramesh referred to the 2003 discussion on Iraq war held under BJP’s Vajpayee govt, when Parliament finally passed a resolution condemning the war.

Akhilesh Yadav said, “The govt talks of ‘atmanirbhar’. But somebody is dictating to India from whom -- and how much – it can buy oil. The way the govt has mortgaged the foreign policy should be discussed in Parliament.”

MPs Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari said mere statements from ministers were not enough and questions needed to be answered. “Parliament is not a notice board,” Tewari quipped.
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