BJP gives notice for suspension of question hour in Upper house

BJP on Tuesday gave notice for suspension of Question Hour in Rajya Sabha to debate Lokpal issue even as it discussed the strategy to take on the government in both Houses on issues like "attack on federal structure" in formation of NCTC, RPF Act and plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia said Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Arun Jaitely has moved a motion for suspension of Question Hour to demand discussion on the Lokpal Bill.

The main opposition is demanding that the House take up the debate on the Bill where it was left when the House was "abruptly adjourned" at 12 pm on 29^th December.

DMK, AIADMK and the Left parties have moved a separate suspension notice to discuss the atrocities on Sri Lankan Tamils.

These parties want to know whether India will support a US resolution in the UN censuring the Sri Lankan government for atrocities on Tamilians during the last phase of the war with LTTE.

In the discussion on the Presidential Address, BJP will move amendments on the NCTC and National Intelligence Grid (NIG).

The party has alleged that the state governments were not taken into confidence while forming the NCTC and NIG and some powers given to these organisations violate the federal structure.

Rajnath Singh will initiate the debate on behalf of BJP in the Presidential Address discussion in Lok Sabha while M Venkaiah Naidu will do so in the Rajya Sabha.

Ahluwalia said reports that the Centre told Chief Secretaries and DGPs in a meeting on Monday not to act like "stenographers of their state governments" were unfortunate and BJP would take this up in Parliament.