Angry Sena stays away from NDA meet

Angry Sena stays away from NDA meet
DEVESH KUMAR

NEW DELHI, JULY 23: A question mark hangs over the participation of the Shiv Sena MPs in the proceedings of monsoon session of Parliament which begins tomorrow. In an expression of its anger over the manner in which Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani was asked to put in his papers, the party chose to stay away from the NDA coordination committee meeting tonight.

In the absence of any representation from its Maharashtra ally, the meeting, which lasted a little over an hour-and-a-half at Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's residence, preferred to skirt the issues pertaining to the developments in the state and the fallout of Jethmalani's resignation.

With the session less than 24 hours away, there is no word from the Shiv Sena whether it'll be sending its MPs to the treasury benches. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan is learnt to have discussed the issue with Sena chief Bal Thackeray during their meeting in Mumbai last night.

While Thackeray is said to have assured him that his party would continue to remain a part of the NDA, he did not specify when his MPs would start attending the parliamentary session.

The government is certain to face the opposition ire on the standoff between the Centre and the Maharashtra government over the deployment of para-military forces and over the Supreme Court's strictures against the Vajpayee government on its confusing stand on the Srikrishna Commission Report.

At an all-party party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi, leaders of the opposition parties also demanded a discussion on the wider issue of Centre-State relations.

The session is likely to start on a stormy note. The States' reorganisation Bills, which triggered off an uproar in the Lok Sabha, were listed for introduction on the first day itself. But with the Lok Sabha likely to be adjourned tomorrow after paying homage to the late Rajesh Pilot, the three statehood bills are now likely to be tabled on Tuesday.

The introduction of the statehood bills also figured in the NDA meeting which emphasised on better coordination among the alliance partners. ``Everyone felt that we should work in a very well-coordinated manner, especially when the Bills are introduced and voted upon,'' NDA convenor George Fernandes told reporters.