A defiant Congress MP Laxman Singh said today that the party’s boycott of Defence Minister George Fernandes should be ‘‘issue-based and symbolic’’ and that it cannot stop raising issues of national importance in the name of boycott. ‘‘In my opinion, issues of national importance should be raised in the House in case they come up. Because these are emotional issues, as as MPs we must take them up,’’ Singh told The Indian Express.Singh further points out: ‘‘I feel that it is the right of every MP to raise issues which concern the whole nation.’’‘‘Whenever there is a party meeting next, I shall definitely raise the point that the party must continue with the boycott, but it should be issue-based and symbolic,’’ Singh said.‘‘Over Rs 10,000 crore of defence funds have lapsed. As the main Opposition party, it is our responsibility to get a clarification from the Government,’’ Singh said.Earlier, Singh along with Punjab MP Jagmeet Singh Brar, had defied the party boycott of Fernandes on May 8 in Parliament by demanding his explanation on MiG crashes and purchase of AJTs. Brar had sought a calling-attention motion for seeking Fernandes’s explanation on the frequent MiG crashes. The next day, Brar was stripped of his post as the party whip in Lok Sabha. Brar and Singh have been issued show-cause notices and they had explained their reasons to the deputy leader of Lok Sabha Shivraj Patil.
