New Delhi: As the united Opposition continued protests against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the land bill, union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday asked them not to obstruct or delay reforms process.
Jaitley sought Opposition's cooperation over the land bill and other key reform bills pending in the Parliament.
"India's growth rate is not NDA/UPA issue," Jaitley said, adding the country has a historic opportunity for growth and pleaded with the opposition not to "obstruct or delay" the reform process in "one way or the other".
"We need larger consensus on growth roadmap... Obstructionism can have a sadistic thrill, but that can only be temporary," he said.
The Finance Minister's appeal comes at a time when the the Congress has upped the ante by leading a joint Opposition protest against the government and its president Sonia Gandhi has written to Anna Hazare vowing to oppose the land bill on all fora.
Jaitley has in the past too condemned the Congress party for adopting obstructionism both as a strategy and an ideology following the party`s march against the Land Acquisition Bill.
Responding to opposition's march from the Parliament to the President`s House on uesday, Jaitley had said, “"It is a continuation of Congress`s politics of obstructionism. Congress has adopted obstructionism both as a strategy and now almost as an ideology. Amendment to land bill is entirely in favor of rural India, it seeks to provide housing to poor and to create infrastructure.”
"There is no reason why any political party with any commitment to development must oppose this bill. It is a negative politics of obstructionism which is intended to keep India backwards. If Congress has serious objections, the ordinance gives discretion to state governments to continue under the old law," he had added.
Alongwith the Congress, leaders of the Janata Dal (United), Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI (M), DMK, INLD as well as other parties have protested against the NDA government's land bill.
(With Agency Inputs)
