New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday after Question Hour collapsed under sustained protests, marking the continuation of a multi-day standoff over the demand for the Home Minister’s presence in the House and to make a statement on alleged July 20 police atrocity on protesting students.
When the House reassembled at noon, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan sought to commence Question Hour and invited Ramji Lal Suman of the Samajwadi Party from Uttar Pradesh to ask his listed question.
Instead of proceeding with the query, Suman revived the demand that the Home Minister come and make a statement, citing the prolonged deadlock.
The Chairman directed him to confine himself to the question.
Opposition members, however, continued their sloganeering and creating a ruckus.
Treasury benches also rose in protest, plunging the chamber into chaos for several minutes. Nothing was audible in the din.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav attempted to reply to a supplementary question but could not be heard.
Despite repeated appeals by the Chairman to members to return to their seats, the disruptions persisted, forcing the adjournment of the House for the day.
The morning session had already been stormy. During Zero Hour, Opposition members raised continuous slogans of “Home Minister sadan main aao”, rendering proceedings inaudible.
Chairman Radhakrishnan told the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Mallikarjun Kharge, that he could make a statement if he had something new to say. The LoP then reiterated the demand for the Home Minister’s presence, observing that while the Chair had conveyed the Opposition’s request, the government was not responding to the appeal.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju firmly rejected the charge.
He accused the LoP of disrupting the House and underlined that the Home Minister remained in Parliament throughout the day, attending the House proceedings only when departmental business was listed.
Rijiju noted that the previous day the Chairman had merely made an observation which was communicated, without any direction from the Chair for the Minister’s presence.
He pointed out that Opposition members often shout slogans and walk out, and challenged that they would not remain in the House if the Home Minister responded.
The Opposition, he stressed, cannot dictate when a Minister should appear.
On Thursday, C.P. Radhakrishnan asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju that Opposition members had consistently demanded the Home Minister’s presence in the House. The Chairman requested Rijiju to consider Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s appeal, and communicate the same.
After the heated exchange, the Chairman allowed Prakash Chik Baraik of the BJP from West Bengal, P.P. Suneer of the CPI from Kerala and Amar Pal Maurya of the BJP from Uttar Pradesh to raise their matters before adjourning the House till noon.
Several private members’ bills could not be introduced due to deadlock on Friday.
(IANS)
