Congress scared to face Parliament, says Sushma

CHENNAI: The Union Government has been deliberately delaying  Parliament session as it fears handling several important issues, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said here on Thursday.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the State executive meeting of the BJP, Sushma Swaraj said the short session of Parliament that was supposed to have been held in May was not convened. Also, the monsoon session that usually begins in July has been delayed, as the Centre feared facing issues over the Lokpal Bill and the police crackdown at Ramlila Grounds, she alleged.The Centre had unilaterally decided that Parliament would be convened in August without even consulting the principal Opposition party. “For the first time in history, we came to know the date of Parliament session through the media,” she added.On the alleged bugging of the office of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, she reiterated her demand for a probe. “Whether or not the Prime Minister should be brought under the ambit of Lokpal can be commented upon only after receipt of the draft Bill.” Hitting out at the Centre on the issue, she said those talking about parliamentary democracy did not even consult the principal Opposition when it held talks with Anna Hazare’s team.Referring to the issue of the 23 fishermen from TN being held in Sri Lanka, Sushma said recurrence of such incidents was unacceptable. “I have raised the issue of attacks on fishermen in Parliament. The Centre must take tough measures to prevent such incidents,” she said.