Tuesday, May 3 2005 11:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: After participating in the discussions on the Finance Bill in Lok Sabha yesterday (May 2, 2005), the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) today (May 3, 2005) decided to continue with its protest in both Houses till the time the "Opposition is allowed to raise its voice on issues like corruption".

Taking exception to the continuance of Laloo Prasad as a Union Minister "despite charges being framed against him and Supreme Court passing strictures" on the Income Tax issue, a meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party chaired by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee decided to review their boycott decision on a day-to-day basis.

NDA had yesterday broken its three-day boycott of Lok Sabha to "demonstrate its commitment to Parliamentary duties" and to blow the whistle on the Government's claim that the Opposition had not taken part in the budgetary discussions for the second consecutive term.

"As the main Opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA alliance cannot close our eyes to the corruption charges including the flood relief scam. The people have not given us the role of a mute spectator. The people's mandate for us is to be a vigilant guard," BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj, flanked by several NDA leaders, told reporters in New Delhi after today's meeting.

"Our leaders are being humiliated. The leader of Opposition is not allowed to speak. If we are not allowed to raise the issues, what's the point in remaining inside? We may as well remain outside and raise them," she said.

Dismissing suggestions that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was not with the NDA on the boycott issue, she said, "We spoke to TDP leader Yerran Naidu in the morning and he has assured us that his party fully supports us in the boycott decision."

Refuting reports that there were "differences" between Vajpayee and leader of Opposition L K Advani on the issue, the BJP spokesperson said, "There are absolutely no differences. Both are there in our Parliamentary Party meetings and it is a unanimous decision to boycott Parliament."

With a view to remove any such "impression" about "differences", she said henceforth NDA leaders would jointly address the media daily.

The NDA coordination committee would meet later in the day followed by a meeting of its Parliamentary party tomorrow (May 4, 2005) to review its decision.

Asked what the Opposition expected from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, Sushma said, "We will tell them when they talk to us."

BJD leader B K Tripathy said the main issue before the alliance was that there was "no scope" for the Opposition to raise its voice.

"They (ruling coalition) should gives us an assurance that they will listen to us silently when the leader of Opposition and other Opposition members speak," he said.

Shiv Sena leader Ananth Geethe said corruption charges against Ministers were surfacing one after another and the Government was not taking any action while his colleague Eknath Khadse said the NDA's boycott was a "war against corruption".

Bijay Panda (BJD) said while the floor leaders of the Treasury benches assure the Opposition that they would be heard, later they "throw up their hand" and are "unable to control members of their allies".

In a resolution adopted at yesterday's meeting, the NDA Parliamentary party had said, "Our decision, not to attend Parliament, was to protest against the behaviour of the Government and to highlight its hostile and vindictive attitude towards the Opposition."

Describing as "mere formality", the Prime Minister's calls to leaders of opposition in both Houses urging them to reconsider their boycott decision, the resolution said, "they have failed to provide any assurance to us that there would be a change in the approach of the Government towards the Opposition".