Stalling Parliament by Congress 'not in the interest of democracy', says Sadananda Gowda

Chennai: Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Saturday charged Congress with stalling Parliament over the Lalit Modi case and Vyapam, claiming that it was doing so as it did not have any other issue and said that this was not in the interest of democracy. [caption id=“attachment_2319448” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Sadananda Gowda. Image courtesy: AFP.[/caption] Defending external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje respectively, he said, BJP had made it ‘very clear’ that they “are not guilty” of any offences. “Swaraj, embroiled in Lalitgate, “had helped an Indian citizen suffering from cancer,” he told reporters at the airport here on the controversy surrounding her help to former IPL boss Lalit Modi, currently staying in London, acquire travel papers for his wife’s medical treatment. Chouhan, facing opposition heat in the ‘Vyapam’ scandal, himself had approached the court while Raje was not guilty of any offence as being made out, he said. “They don’t want to participate in Parliament proceedings to deliberate issues. They don’t want to take up prevailing issues where certain bills that are in the interest of the national interest have to be passed,” Gowda charged. Congress was stalling Parliament since “they have no issue and this is not in the interest of the democracy of the country,” he charged. On the NDA’s contentious Land Acquisition Bill, the Union Law Minister said the government would consider the recommendations by a select committee to which it has been referred to, and take action at an appropriate time. Referring to proposed hanging of Mumbai blasts case convict Yakub Memon, Gowda said Supreme court had given its verdict (to hang him) and “patriotic people will not support him.” To a question about Congress-led government in his home state Karnataka, he alleged law and order was “deteriorating” and a number of farmer suicides had been reported, but there was no action. He alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC President G Parameshwar “are fighting among themselves,” and that the government had “totally failed” in administration. PTI