Govt will consider revoking suspension of MPs if they express regret: Pralhad Joshi

Responding to the demand by the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, to withdraw the suspension of the eight opposition MPs, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "The government is not hellbent upon keeping the suspended MPs out of the House. If they express regret, we will look into it (withdrawing their suspension)."

On Azad's comments about members not being given enough time to speak, Joshi said, "Restrictions on time have always been there. Time for the bills is allocated in the Business Advisory Committee."

On Opposition uproar over extension of the House on Sunday for the passage of the bills, the minister said, "This was not the first time that house was extended. However, as soon as I moved a resolution for extension of the time of the House, the opposition MPs were in the well."

On the opposition contention that their demand for division was not accepted, he said, "All the opposition members, including the the member who had moved amendment to refer bill to a Select committee, were in the well. In such a situation the Chair could not have called for a division."

Seeking to refute the contention that the government pushed through the bills as it did not have the numbers, the minister said, "That day numbers were in our favour . We had 110 members in our favour while the Opposition had the support of 72 members only. I can confidently say that we had the numbers and were ready for a division."

Earlier on Tuesday, the leader of the Opposition announced that the Congress will boycott the session till the government withdraws the suspension of the eight rival MPs.