Venkaiah Naidu seeks Congress' cooperation for smooth functioning of Budget session

On the first day of the Budget Session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu asked the parties not to politicise the issue.

Asking the Opposition not to find fault with ordinances per se, Naidu said, "If they have any problem on the content of the Ordinance, they are welcome to debate in Parliament...

Government is ready to discuss any objection raised by the Opposition... Let the Parliament decide. That is my humble request to all the political parties."

Naidu said it was the first full-fledged budget session of the NDA government and the people have high expectations from it.

He said that development is possible only thorough a proper climate for industry and proper legislative measures.

"Government should do it. That is the expectation of Parliament. I hope all political parties will understand that and cooperate with the government in proper conduct of the House, in debating, discussing and deciding the issues.

"I was pained that some friends in the Opposition said that ours was an Ordinance Raj. We are a democratic party, and democratic government," Naidu said.

He said the NDA government has no fancy for ordinances and they were issued in past as well.

"We recall in the very first year of the republic, three ordinances were issued in 1950... I put it on record, which might not be palatable to some people that inspite of having massive majority in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the then government had resorted to ordinances," the minister said.

Naidu also strongly defended the government on the ordinances on coal and land. He said that the land ordinance is not anti-farmer.

Later speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, Naidu requested opposition parties not to object to the government's move on land acquisition just "for the sake of opposition".

"Let us not politicise the issues. We have to work hard to see that farmers' interests are protected and also, at the same time, development takes place in the country," he said.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that enough infrastructure, investment and "ease of doing business is required to create wealth so that wealth can be distributed".

"That being the philosophy behind this ordinance, I hope they will understand the importance and join us in getting this bill passed," he said.

He said the President, in his address today, also referred to more than 50 initiatives taken up and proposed by the government.

"The strategy of the government is also contained in the President's address, which seeks to enable every individual, institution and economy to live up to their full potential," he added.