BJP flaunts success in Budget Session

After putting the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the mat on corruption issues and the Cash-for-Vote row in the just concluded Budget Session of Parliament, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday called it a very successful round to hold the government accountable and showcase its own responsible face.

While Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj called it a very successful session, her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley called it a session of accountability.

“The biggest success is that the session could run amid the fears that it would not after the Winter session’s impasse. The demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) raised by us was accepted and it was a victory of democracy,” said Swaraj, whose articulation in attacking the Prime Minister in the session earned BJP enough brownie points.

“There was a question itself on the fate of the session,” said Swaraj, whose oratory was acknowledged even by the Prime Minister as he admitted that he was no match for her in that parliamentary art.

Swaraj said during the session the question of appointment of a tainted PJ Thomas as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, the anti-corruption chief of the nation, reached a logical conclusion and the Supreme Court also struck down his appointment.

She said the BJP also raised several human rights issues in Parliament, ranging from the issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen to the plight of the Tri-Valley University students in USA and the issue of the abduction of Indian sailors by Somali pirates.

She said the issue of oral cancer from tobacco was also raised.

“We were a very responsible opposition in this session,” she boasted.

Arun Jaitley said the BJP raised the bar of accountability since the issue of 2G corruption scandal was not being taken seriously by the ruling group.