JHANSI: The government today sought to downplay the stand of its key ally Trinamool Congress to the proposed national textbook council saying resistance is coming more from Opposition parties than from within the UPA.

"The protest is not coming from within (from UPA) but more from there (from the Opposition parties)," HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here.

He said opposing to anything for the sake of opposition has become a policy in India democracy.

"If the Opposition decides that opposition is their policy, then nothing will move forward."

Sibal's was reacting to a question on whether TMC's opposition to the proposed council which seeks to monitor the content of school textbooks.

TC is of the view that instead of strengthening NCERT to take care of the additional task of monitoring violation of norms, creating another central council is not convincing, said sources in the HRD Ministry.

The Ministry had sought the state's views about the proposed body. Gujarat and Orissa have also expressed their opposition to the setting up of the council contending that setting such bodies are the prerogatives of the state governments.

Referring to key bills on higher education stalled in Parliament due to lack of support from Opposition parties, Sibal said their leaders have come out in open expressing views that obstruction is part of their policy.

"Arun Jaitley openly said the other day that obstruction is our policy and that is part of parliamentary tactics. What does it mean...that Parliament should not be allowed to run and key bills will continue to be stalled. What is surprising is that BSP and SP are also supporting BJP," he said.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi also voiced his opposition to the proposed council saying that in a federal structure Centre's views cannot be imposed on states.

"...This is a federal structure and education is in the concurrent list and therefore states should be consulted. They (HRD Ministry) should not behave like policeman. NCERT prepares textbooks. Let them concentrate on that," he said. 

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