NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Saturday walked out of the Rajya Sabha opposing the BJP government’s white paper on the economy, with the CPI(M) also refusing to participate in the discussion on the Ram temple in the House.The Left party said it will not become a “party to communalise the political situation”.Both Houses of Parliament — the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha — are discussing “the construction of historic Shri Ram Temple and Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ramlala”.Members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were among those who walked out over the white paper brought by the government in Parliament to compare the state of the economy during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regimes.Participating in the discussion on the white paper in the Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) member John Brittas said, “Protesting against the discrimination shown to Kerala, we are walking out. We are also not party to communalise the political situation,” he said on the discussion on the Ram temple, which will be held after that on the white paper.”This is not a white paper. This is an election paper. Selective amnesia and cherry picking. Finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) has said 2004-2009 was a good period but she gave the credit to the previous (NDA) government. Strange enough,” the leader of the Left party said.Is it not a fact that the Left supported the first UPA government that made important decisions and changes such as making education a fundamental right, bringing the Right to Information Act, making employment a right through the MGNREGA and ensuring right to food security, Brittas asked.”The other day, the prime minister (Narendra Modi) was praising Dr Manmohan Singh, who he had earlier ridiculed by calling ‘maun’ (silent). The finance minister is slapping a black paper on Manmohan Singh. Tomorrow, this government would be giving a Bharat Ratna to Dr Manmohan Singh and saying that he was denied Bharat Ratna by Sonia Gandhi,” he said.Brittas said that the finance minister has spoken about “abundance to Kerala”.”There were partial truths to confuse people,” he added.
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