Government ready for discussion, PM will take part: Venkaiah Naidu

The government is ready for a discussion in Parliament on demonetisation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in it, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said as he appealed to the opposition parties not to disrupt proceedings.

He said the mood of the country was in favour of the move which is why the calls for strike and protests by opposition parties did not succeed.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an awareness session on digital transactions for officials of his ministries, he said demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes “is a fact now” and there should be discussion on how it can be implemented smoothly.

“They (opposition parties) should come back to Parliament to discuss and debate and give valuable suggestions so that the country can move forward,” said Naidu, who holds Information and Broadcasting, Urban Development, and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministries.

He said that many opposition leaders were now trying to clarify that they were not against the war on black money and demonetisation.

“They are all saying this because the mood of the nation is dominantly in favour of the step taken by the Prime Minister,” he said.

The call for a bandh was a “total flop” and the nationwide protest programmes also failed, he said.

“They (opposition parties) tried to come together but there is now division as some people wanted rollback (of the move)...I just saw in newspapers that (RJD supremo) Laluji was saying that ‘in principle’ he is not opposed to the move but he has issues with implementation,” Naidu said.

The issues should be discussed in Parliament for which the government is ready. “The Prime Minister will also definitely and the Finance minister will also reply in the end,” he said.

Naidu said there are other issues and key legislations that should be discussed in Parliament.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present at the event.