India’s parliament paralysed by protests

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP’s hold placards in New Delhi yesterday, demanding the declaration of famine in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

India’s parliament was paralysed for a second day yesterday over opposition protests against inflation, with the deadlock threatening the government’s reform programme.
The lower house adjourned in uproar with opposition lawmakers shaking their fists in anger after the speaker rejected demands for a vote to censure the government over its “failure” to tame double-digit inflation.
The main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiiya Janata Party (BJP) has vowed not to let India’s famously raucous parliament function until it debates inflation, which is running at 10.55 percent.
“We want to censure the government because the aam admi [the common man] in whose name this government came to power is now being tortured,” BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said.
Premier Manmohan Singh appealed to lawmakers on Monday, the opening day of this parliamentary session, to allow the legislature to “function smoothly” to address “the many important pieces of legislation”.
These include a plan to introduce a far-reaching indirect tax reform that would simplify India’s complex tax structure and make it easier for companies to do business.
The left-leaning Congress-led government also wants to pass a nuclear liability bill that is key to giving the energy-hungry country access to US nuclear technology, and other legislation that would reserve a third of all seats in the parliament for women.
The Indian central bank hiked its main interest rates on Tuesday for a fourth time this year in a bid to tackle inflation, which is being driven by high food costs, rising wages and a fast-expanding industrial sector.