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Rejecting Lok Sabha Speaker
Somnath Chatterjee's fresh appeal to reconsider its boycott
of Parliament, the opposition National Democratic Alliance on
Wednesday decided to continue its protests in both Houses for
the rest of the Budget session.
The Budget session ends on May 13.
Chatterjee on Tuesday had written a letter to NDA chairman
and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee urging him to
end the protest.
Top leaders of the alliance met at Vajpayee's residence in
the morning and decided to extend the boycott to the entire
session.
"After considering the issue of boycott in detail, the NDA
leaders have unanimously come to the conclusion that in view
of the government's undemocratic and intemperate attitude
towards the opposition and its complete disregard of all
parliamentary norms and standards, the NDA has no alternative
except to boycott the rest of the session until May 13," a
statement read out by NDA convener George Fernandes at a
joint press conference said.
Stating that the speaker's letter was discussed at the
meeting, he said: "It was felt that since the opposition's
grievances were against the government and the treasury
benches, perhaps the Hon'ble Speaker should have written on
this issue to the prime minister also".
Amidst reports of differences within the alliance, the BJP
managed to take the Telugu Desam Party on board for the sixth
day of boycott though its leader K Yerran Naidu did not
attend the meeting.
Naidu said the decision to take part in the boycott will be
taken at Thursday's Parliamentary party meeting. "We would
discuss whether the boycott is correct or not," he added.
Asked about TDP, leader of opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani
said the party had been extending cooperation though it was
not part of the NDA.
"The decision to continue the boycott has been conveyed to
the TDP leadership and it is for them to take a decision.
Till now, the boycott has been unanimous and total," he said.
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