Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Thursday following an uproar in the Rajya Sabha over a press conference held by Opposition MPs a day earlier and chaotic scenes in the Lok Sabha following allegations of links between the Congress and billionaire George Soros.
The Lok Sabha witnessed unruly scenes after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raised allegations about Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s links to Soros, leading to Opposition MPs climbing the dais of the Speaker in protest. Proceedings were adjourned till 1 pm, only to be adjourned till 2 pm within seconds.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm around half an hour after it met Thursday morning. Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar declined a notice from Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury calling for a discussion on “alleged derogatory and divisive statements made by a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court.”
Several notices by Opposition MPs under Rule 267 which allows members to move for the suspension of rules to discuss urgent matters were also rejected by Speaker Om Birla.
“I have received six notices under rule 267. Except one, on all others, I have already given my ruling. The one on which my ruling has not come so far is a notice emanating from Renuka Chowdhury demanding discussion on alleged derogatory and divisive statements made by a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court,” Dhankhar said in the Upper House.
“Article 121 of the Constitution places restrictions on discussion on the conduct of a judge in discharge of his duties except upon a motion praying for removal of the judge. When it is not on duty, I am referring to another rule, a rule made by this House…the rule says…that a member while speaking shall not…reflect upon the conduct of persons in high authority unless discussion is based on a substantive motion drawn in proper form,” Dhankhar said, adding that the matter can be discussed only on a substantive motion and the notice is in “transgression of the rules.”
Referring to the press conference held by the Opposition’s Rajya Sabha members on Wednesday, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha J P Nadda said, “The Chair cannot be questioned with regard to the admissibility, and for other purposes, the Chairman’s ruling cannot be criticised or questioned. To do so is contempt of the House and the Chairman. This has been specified clearly.”
“I want to say that unfortunately, yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition, Kharge ji, who is a senior leader…held a press conference and criticised the Chair. This is objectionable, this is condemnable…they alleged in the press conference that they are not given opportunity. Letters have been written by the Chair to the Leader of the Opposition time and again to participate and come to the chamber. But the Leader of the Opposition has always denied, and he has not participated in the BAC (Business Advisory Committee) meeting also, in the last meeting,” Nadda added.
On Wednesday, at a joint press conference, Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs, including Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, alleged that they were not allowed to speak in the House. “Politics has taken precedence over rules in Rajya Sabha and the Chairman has indulged in partisan behaviour,” Kharge had said.
In the House on Thursday, Kharge said, “I heard what the Leader of the House said…he said that nothing should be said against the Chairman’s orders, and that this is contempt. Yeh log vishay ko bhatkana chahte hain (these people want to divert the topic).”
To this, Dhankhar responded: “Have you come to the Business Advisory Committee? Have you accepted my invitation?”
Amid an uproar, the House was then adjourned till 2 pm.
In the Lok Sabha, an initial ruckus broke out after BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was chairing the proceedings, objected to Congress MP S Jothimani naming an industrialist in the House. Jothimani said his name could not go on record.
Pal allowed Congress MP K C Venugopal to speak and he asked why the “wild allegations” made by BJP leaders were not expunged. Venugopal said that during Zero Hour on Wednesday, Union minister Piyush Goyal repeated all the charges raised by Dubey earlier this week. He pointed out that Zero Hour was a time when MPs should have priority but the minister used that time to raise allegations against the Opposition leaders. “But you deleted the names from Jothimani’s speech but let the charges against the Congress leaders remain. This is double standards,” Venugopal said.
Pal then said: “K C Venugopal has raised some issue. A member who is not present can’t be named.”
Several senior Congress MPs stood up to question why the industrialist’s name was deleted while the reference to Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, who is not a member of the Lower House was not.
Pal justified the move saying that those allegations were against the members of the House. He then called Dubey for raising a matter of public importance in the Zero Hour. Dubey said, “I have 10 questions for the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. We have not been allowed to speak by Opposition in the last four years.”
“The FDL-AP which considers Kashmir to be a separate country. What relations do the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Sonia Gandhi have with it? It is funded by Soros,” said Dubey, referring to the Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific. He went on to level a host of allegations against the Congress leadership, saying Sonia had met Soros during his visits to India in 2004 and 2009.
Congress MPs along with other Opposition MPs stood up in protest. Some Congress MPs rushed to the Well of the House. Deepender Hooda and Pappu Yadav climbed the dais of the Speaker while others shouted, asking Pal to stop Dubey.
While Dubey was speaking, Pal adjourned the House.
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