BJP wants all-party meet on petrol price hike

The Bharatiya Janata Party wants the government to convene an all-party meeting before taking any decision to increase the prices of petroleum products.

Briefing the media after the executive committee meeting of the party's parliamentary wing in New Delhi on Friday, BJP spokesman K L Sharma, MP, recalled that Prime Minister I K Gujral had promised to follow a policy of consensus. The party said the same policy should be followed in this case also.

The BJP executive also discussed the proposed broadcasting bill and felt that it should not be passed in haste. The BJP wants the bill to be referred to a select committee. The broadcasting bill should also be debated in Parliament, Sharma said.

The committee also took another important decision. The party feels that the Lok Pal bill should be referred to a select committee of Parliament as it was not acceptable to it in the present form. This was conveyed to the prime minister by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Sharma said there should be a provision to punish those who make false complaints to the Lok Pal.

Referring to the prime minister's recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma said the government should draw up a comprehensive policy to rehabilitate the 300,000-odd migrants from the valley living all over the country.

UNI