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Disruption of Parliament is negation of democracy: PM 

NEW DELHI: As the turmoil-ridden monsoon session of Parliament ended, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hit out at the BJP for "total negation" of democracy and asked people to stand up against such attitude of disruption, warning that it would be a "grave violation" of Parliamentary politics.

He maintained that the CAG report on coal block allocation should have been discussed in Parliament and Public Accounts Committee but the Opposition chose to cause disruptions.

"We have just ended a wasted session of Parliament. Both the Houses were paralysed because CAG has issued a report which rightly or wrongly has certain allegations about public functionaries," Singh told reporters outside Parliament shortly after the end of Monsoon Session.

"We have great respect for the institution of CAG, but if we do respect this institution, we must be willing to debate its finding in PAC or even on the floor of Parliament which we have always been willing," he said.

Without naming BJP, Singh said, "The Opposition chose not to take advantage of the subtle institutional practices dealing with the reports of CAG and insisted on disrupting Parliament. This is negation of democracy." He warned that "If this thought process is allowed to gain momentum it will be a grave violation of Parliamentary politics as we have understood."

Parliament could work only on six out of 19 days of sittings because of BJP's unrelenting demands for resignation of the Prime Minister over the coal block allocation issue besides cancellation of allotments and setting up of independent inquiry. — PTI

Speaker expresses concern over non-functioning of Parliament

NEW DELHI: With the Monsoon session of Parliament coming to an end after most of its sittings washed out over the coal issue, a concerned Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday said some “forms of dissent” were leaving her disturbed.

“Parliament has not functioned and it has made me very sad. In our democracy, sometimes there are forms of dissent which disturb us,” she said soon after the monsoon session was adjourned sine die.

At the same time, Kumar hoped that a solution to the logjam between the UPA and the NDA would be found soon and Parliament will function smoothly in the winter session.

“...we are all staunch believers in the functioning democracy of our country and I am very hopeful that a solution will be found, situation will normalise and Parliament will function,” the Speaker said.

The monsoon session, the second-worst since the 2009 general elections, functioned only six out of 19 days. It was paralysed for remaining period due to the stand-off between the government and the BJP over the controversial coal block allocation issue with the main Opposition party remaining unrelenting on its demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Prior to this, the winter session of 2010 witnessed a complete washout due to the Opposition demand for setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the 2G Spectrum allocation scam. — PTI

Govt may hike fuel prices next week

NEW DELHI: The government may hike petrol, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene prices simultaneously as early as next week, with Petroleum Minister S. Jaipal Reddy on Friday saying “difficult and painful” decisions need to be taken.

“There are no immediate proposals to raise prices of various oil products including petrol,” Reddy told reporters.

Though he did not specify when the hike may take place, indications are it could be done after the Cabinet meets next week.

The Ministry is wary that if oil firms are allowed to raise just petrol prices today or tomorrow, the political opposition to the unpopular decision may force the hands of the Cabinet into not hiking diesel, LPG and kerosene rates.

With oil firms losing a record Rs. 560 crore per day on sale of regulated diesel and cooking fuels and another Rs. 16 a day on petrol, the Petroleum Ministry is pushing for raising rates once the Monsoon Session of Parliament ends on Friday.

“We are of course facing treacherous crisis of unpredictable magnitude... Our oil companies will lose huge nearly Rs. 200,000 crore (if rates are not raised),” Reddy said, adding that steps need to be taken to reduce this deficit. “We have to take some difficult, painful decisions.”

On the political opposition to raising fuel rates, Reddy said fuel pricing was a classic case of “politics defeating economics.”

Reddy said he has moved a note for the consideration of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) explaining the precarious situation facing the oil sector. “It is my duty as a minister to bring facts to the notice of CCPA. When will it meet, I have no idea.”

State-owned fuel retailers are losing over Rs 5 per litre on sale of petrol, a commodity which was freed from government control in June 2010 but whose rates haven’t moved in tandem with cost.

They sell diesel at a loss of Rs 19.26 a litre, kerosene at Rs 34.34 per litre and domestic LPG at Rs 347 per 14.2-kg cylinder. — PTI

Desire of India to see a stable Pakistan: Krishna

Islamabad: External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Friday arrived in Islamabad on a three-day visit to Pakistan to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, saying he had come with a mandate for building trust and confidence between the two countries.

“I wish to reiterate the desire of India to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan living in peace with itself and the world. That would be in the best interest of everyone,” Krishna said in an arrival statement.

The minister said leadership of India and Pakistan have mandated building of trust and confidence between the two countries.

“We are committed to finding solutions of all issues that have beset our relationship through peaceful bilateral dialogue,” he said.

Krishna stressed: “We look to the future where our two countries are able to live together in an atmosphere of friendliness and all-round cooperation free from terror and violence.”

Speaking about the objective of his visit, Krishna said, “My endeavour during this visit will be to promote the objectives that I have just mentioned“.

The minister was received at the airport by Pakistan High Commissioner to India Salman Bashir and Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal.

Krishna will call on Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf later in the day. He will also hold meeting with leaders from various Pakistan political parties.

While no substantive outcome is expected from the visit, both the countries are likely to sign a new liberalised visa agreement, which would be a boost for people-to-people contact. — PTI

Obama to US: Choose between 2 paths

Charlotte: Seeking re-election for his second term, US President Barack Obama has said that the presidential polls against his Republican challenger Mitt Romney will be a choice between two "fundamentally different visions for the future" that will impact generations to come.

"On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for America. A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future," Obama said as he accepted the Democratic Party nomination to run for presidential elections on November 6.

Obama conceded that the path he is offering is not quick or easy.

"I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades," he said.