NEW DELHI: Parliament’s proceedings in the first week of the Monsoon Session were completely washed out, with both Houses adjourning today till Monday without transacting any business as the deadlock between the opposition and the ruling party persisted over issues like the Lalit Modi controversy and the Vyapam scam.
The opposition, led by the Congress, remained unrelenting on its demand for the resignation of Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister for allegedly helping controversial former IPL chief Lalit Modi and of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam admission and recruitment scam.
Countering the opposition charge, the BJP members too raised slogans and got into heated exchanges with Congress MPs inside the House, after holding a protest against the opposition at the Parliament’s main gate this morning.
In the Lok Sabha, the opposition’s slogan-shouting and counter-sloganeering by the BJP members led to the House being adjourned for the day, minutes after it had assembled at 11 AM. Congress members, waving placards, trooped into the Well just as the Question Hour was taken up.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan angrily said “You don’t want to raise issues…you don’t want to take part in the proceedings” and adjourned the House for the day within five minutes after it had assembled.
No business has been transacted since the session began on July 21, with both Houses witnessing adjournments after adjournments following sloganeering and verbal exchanges between the ruling and opposition sides.
Even the papers listed for the day in Lok Sabha were not tabled as scheduled at noon every day. Two bills — the Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, were also listed today for consideration and passage.
In the Rajya Sabha, heated exchanges between treasury benches and the Congress forced its adjournment twice, before it was adjourned for the day.
Congress and BJP members clashed after Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad blamed the ruling party of being a “stumbling block” in the functioning of Parliament.
Reacting to Azad, members from the treasury benches led by union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Piyush Goyal blamed opposition for the stalemate, provoking the Congress members who immediately moved into the aisles raising slogans.
All through, the ruling side continued to shout back at the opposition leaders, prompting Kurien to remark “Why is treasury benches creating problem?”
Following this, Azad said “it is the ruling party which has become stumbling block (in functioning of House).”
Sensing trouble, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House till noon for the first time.
Earlier, Pramod Tiwari (Cong) wanted to know about the fate of the notice he had given under Rule 267 seeking suspension of business to discuss alleged corruption in Rajasthan and Swaraj for allegedly trying to help “fugitive” Lalit Modi.
He sought to know if the government has decided that both the leaders, who are “in the dock”, will resign, provoking BJP members to attack Tiwari.
Sharad Yadav (JD-U) said it was “unprecedented” that the ruling party members have sat on a dharna. “Ruling parties, all over the world, have never sat on dharna … Who are they asking (for help)? Is it the almighty,” he said mockingly.
When the Upper House resumed after the first adjournment for Question Hour, similar unruly scenes were witnessed and Chairman Hamid Ansari’s attempts to put the House in order failed as an unrelenting Congress continued their vociferous protests.
Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma alleged that the attitude of “those who used to talk big about corruption has changed after coming to power”, while his party colleague Satyavrat Chaturvedi said the opposition has been raising “a matter of importance and a fundamental question”.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also shouted something which could not be heard in the din. As the ruckus continued, the Chair adjourned the House till 2.30 PM.
Similar situation prevailed when the House resumed its sitting, with Congress members again trooping in to the Well, raising slogans demanding the resignation of Swaraj.
Despite repeated pleas by the Deputy Chairman to allow the Private Members’ business to be taken up, Congress members remained unrelenting, following which the House was adjourned till Monday.
Amidst the din, the Upper House adopted by a voice vote a motion for withdrawal of the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which was moved by Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.–PTI
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