BJP-Congress battle in Parliament on Lalit Modi issue: Rajya Sabha adjourned thrice
Standing firm against the belligerent opposition, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Swaraj is ready to give a statement but the opposition is not ready for a debate.
Jaitley who met Sushma before giving a statement to the media, claimed that the Opposition does not want a discussion.
The Congress has been demanding the resignation of Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for helping former Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi, a "fugitive" as the party calls him, accused of money laundering and violation of foreign exchange rules.
The party also wants Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to step down following the Vyapam government job recruitment scam.
Before the beginning of the session Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday morning that he "is hopeful of a constructive session of parliament"; but the Congress decided to take an aggressive stance.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi met with the party's Lok Sabha MPs to resolve that the Congress will disrupt Parliament, and stage protests outside holding placards and black bands, demanding action against three top BJP leaders.
As the battle lines were drawn, the External Affairs Minister was greeted in the Lok Sabha by NDA members in a gesture of backing her- a decision the ruling coalition had taken to put up a brave front in the face of the possible attack by the belligerent Congress.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after paying tributes to departed members.
Just before the proceedings began, the Prime Minister went up to the Opposition benches to greet leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The Congress has only 44 MPs in the Lok Sabha. But its belligerence is likely to make tough the goings of the government that wants to push through its reforms reforms like the National Goods and Sales Tax.
In the Rajya Sabha, the government is in a minority and the Congress' support is needed to get safe passage for the key bills that are pending.
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