NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha exploded into repeated ruckus on the opening day of the winter session on Friday over Prime Minister Modi’s charge on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Vice-President Hamid Ansari and others for alleged “international conspiring” with Pakistan to defeat the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party in the Gujarat Assembly elections.
Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted suspension of the House business on a spate of notices under House rule 467, but Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he has not allowed the notices.
The Congress members rushed into the well forcing the Chairman to adjourn the House until 2.30 pm when the private members’ business was to take place. Deputy chairman P J Kurien got some private members’ Bills admitted in the pandemonium before adjourning the House for the day.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day to show respect to the members dying since last session while the Rajya Sabha also witnessed a tiff between the Chairman and the Opposition on he announcing the decision to terminate membership of rebel Janata Dal(U) MPs Sharad Yadav and M P Anwar.
The Congress members stormed into the well when the Chairman refuses Azad to question his decision saying “the Chairman’s rulings cannot become issue of debate.” Even as they raised slogans of “Tanashahi nahi chalegi,” the Chairman adjourned the House for 20 minutes, disappreciating the protest on the very first day of the House.
Azad had contended that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had contested as a candidate of the “Mahagathbandhan” (grand alliance) and as such he should have resigned on aligning with the BJP instead of expulsion of Sharad Yadav and Anwar from the Rajya Sabha.
Later Azad and deputy Congress leader Anand Sharma accused the Chairman of muzzling the Opposition’s voice by not allowing it to raise the conspiracy charge levelled by PM Modi on December 10 in the course of the Gujarat poll campaign.
They said Modi, who had come to the House to introduce the new ministers, was aware of the notices on his comment and he could have used the opportunity to clear the air, take back his words and express regret and apology so that the issue would have been over.
“But the Prime Minister and the ruling dispensation, remains in arrogance and confrontation and this is most unfortunate. This attitude does not augur well for our democracy. It is ominous development on the first day itself,” Azad said.
