Did not run away from vote, we wanted debate: Congress

The Congress Thursday rejected allegations of running away from vote on the Lokpal bill in the Rajya Sabha, and said it wanted to complete the procedure but the opposition did not allow it

The Congress Thursday rejected allegations of running away from vote on the Lokpal bill in the Rajya Sabha, and said it wanted to complete the procedure but the opposition did not allow it.

Talking to reporters outside parliament, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy said he was not allowed to reply to the debate in the upper house.

"There is no question of choreography, government was not running away from debate, rather the opposition disrupted my reply," he said.

"There were 187 amendments; many were only to amend sub-clauses. Government needed to apply mind," Narayanasamy said.

Party leader Janardan Dwivedi also blamed the opposition for the disruption.

"The chairman said it was not possible to conduct house in such environment," Dwivedi told reporters outside parliament as opposition members shouted slogans against the government in parliament complex.

Asked about opposition demand that the government should now resign, Dwivedi said that "these are unparliamentary words. We don't want to reply to it".

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