Opposition uproar disrupts proceedings in Rajya Sabha

PTI, Jul 22, 2019, 5:16 PM IST

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions on Monday as the opposition Congress, TMC and SP members created uproar over various issues including crisis in Karnataka, Sonbhadra killings and mob lynching.

As soon as the House resumed at 2 pm, the Deputy Chairman asked the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai to move The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 for passage in the House.

Opposition members soon trooped into the well and started raising slogans highlighting various issues like political crisis in Karnataka, killings in Sonbhadra district of UP and mob lynching in Bihar.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh told members that the Chairman has already given a ruling on the political crisis in Karnataka and that the issue cannot be discussed here as the matter is sub-judice.

Raising a point of order under Rule 95, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said members did not get sufficient time to submit amendments to the bill as the draft law was passed by Lok Sabha last week and sent to the House on Friday evening.

He pointed that the bill was listed for discussion on Monday without giving sufficient notice to members to file their amendments to the draft law.

The Deputy Chairman said members had time till noon to file their amendments to the Bill.

Bhupender Yadav (BJP) said the Chairman has power to allow amendments of members.

Raising a point of order, Congress leader Anand Sharma said members should get at least two days notice to file their amendments to the bill.

He said when bills are not being referred to standing committees for scrutiny, members should be given time to submit their amendments on the bill.

He said the government is in a tearing hurry to pass the bill and members’ right to move amendments is being violated.

The Deputy Chairman called out names of two members to move their amendments. But when they did not do so, he considered the amendments are not moved.

Raising point of order, DMK member Tiruchi Siva said members, who wanted to move amendments, asked the Chair to bring the House in order, “but you presumed that they did not move amendments”.

He requested the Chair to allow them to move amendments after bringing the House in order.

The Deputy Chairman expressed dismay over members throwing pieces of papers on him and other officials sitting below him and asked if this was the way the chair should be treated.

Derek O’Brien in the meantime blamed the Chair for not conducting the business in a congenial environment.

Amid the din, the Deputy Charmian adjourned the House till 3 PM. Earlier proceedings were washed out in the pre-lunch period after members of opposition parties created uproar over various issues.

Members in the upper house raised slogans since the start of the day’s proceedings, raising issues of Karnataka political crisis, Sonbhadra violence, lynchings in Bihar and Dalit issues.

Members of the entire opposition were together in raising protests in the House. These included those of Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, DMK, Trinamool Congress, CPI and CPI-M, besides RJD and AAP.

Soon after Deputy chairman Harivansh called for the Question Hour, members continued to create uproar. They soon stormed into the well and started raising slogans. Harivansh said the Question hour is important as a lot of effort and resources have gone into it.

While Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo continued to answer supplementaries pertaining to a question on the rehabilitation of villages, the protesting members continued to create uproar.

“The members who are standing in the well are requested to go back to their seats and allow the Question Hour to continue,” the deputy chairman urged members. As the pleas of the deputy chairman went unheeded, he adjourned the House till 2 PM.

The House was adjourned 10 minutes after it met at 12 for Question Hour. Protesting members were raising slogans like “Dictatorship will not be allowed”, “Dalit virodhi yeh sarkar, nahin chalegi”, “Goondagardi nahin chalegi”.

Congress members had given an adjournment notice under Rule 267 seeking setting aside of the business of the day to take up the issue of Constitutional crisis in Karnataka. TMC members sent a similar notice over killings in Sonbhadra district of UP and a similar notice on mob lynching in Bihar by other opposition parties.

As soon as the House mourned the death of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and listed official papers laid on the table of the House, opposition members were up on their feet raising their issues.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the Karnataka issue is pending before the Supreme Court and the House cannot discuss it. As his pleas went unheeded and members started raising slogans, he asked members not to raise slogans.

As his repeated pleas went unheeded, he adjourned the House till 1200 hours. Earlier the House mourned the death of Dikshit, who died on July 20 at the age of 81 years.

Reading out obituary reference, Naidu said she was the longest serving chief minister of Delhi and did pioneering development work during her 15-year tenure.

“In passing away of Sheila Dikshit, the country has lost a distinguished parliamentarian and an able administrator,” he said. Members stood in silence in their places as a mark of respect to the memory of the departed soul.