JPC should investigate or CJI… Opposition is not ready to bow down on Adani issue, how will the Parliament run?
Uproar in Lok Sabha over Adani case, no business
Members of almost all opposition parties, including the Congress, started raising slogans as soon as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla started the question hour on the third day of the budget session of Parliament. They were demanding a discussion on the Hindenburg report on the Adani group and an inquiry into the business practices of the group.
Appealing to the agitating opposition members to go to their places, Birla requested to allow the Question Hour to continue and said that nothing should be said without facts. During this, Speaker Birla asked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Poonam Madam to ask supplementary question related to Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), but she could not ask supplementary question amidst the uproar.
Speaker Birla told the agitating members, ‘Question Hour is an important time. Expressing concern in the (recently) conference of Legislature Speakers, it was said that the Question Hour should continue. He told the opposition members, ‘You raise basic questions. I’ll give you enough time. You do not want to maintain the decorum of the House. Do not talk without facts. When the ruckus did not stop, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings of the House till 2 pm after a few minutes.
When the meeting of the House resumed at 2 pm, the ruckus continued. Many members reached near the seat raising slogans. Amidst the commotion, the presiding chairman Rajendra Agarwal got the necessary papers placed on the floor of the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi appealed to the slogan-shouting opposition members to allow the House to function.
He said, ‘The President (Draupadi Murmu) has addressed both the Houses. The discussion on the motion of thanks on the address is important. This is his (President Murmu’s) first speech. Discuss it. The House is meant for discussion. Joshi said, ‘I request you with folded hands to start the discussion.’
Presiding Speaker Rajendra Agarwal also appealed to the opposition members to allow the House to function. When the uproar did not stop, he adjourned the meeting till 11 am on Friday at 2.50 pm.
Uproar in the Rajya Sabha as well, the proceedings of the house did not go on
In the Rajya Sabha too, proceedings were disrupted due to uproar by opposition members demanding discussion on various issues under Rule 267, which has provision for adjournment, and the meeting was adjourned for the whole day a few minutes after 2 p.m. after a one-time adjournment. Postponed. Due to the ruckus of the opposition, Zero Hour and Question Hour also could not be held in the Upper House.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar mentioned the death of former Union Minister Shanti Bhushan when the proceedings started in the Upper House at 11 am on Thursday. Appreciating his contribution, Dhankhar said that Shanti Bhushan was a former member of the Upper House. After this, the members observed silence for some time in his honour.
Dhankhar then informed the House that he had been summoned under Rule 267 on behalf of a total of nine members, including Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sanjay Singh, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) Tiruchi Shiva. Notices have been received. He cited his earlier ruling that none of these notices met the requirements for admissibility and therefore rejected them.
As soon as he said this, the members of the opposition parties started an uproar.
Dhankhar requested the members to restore peace and order in the House, but seeing no effect of his talk, he adjourned the proceedings of the House at 11:70 am till 2:00 pm.
On resuming the meeting at 2.00 pm, Chairman Dhankhar asked for a motion of thanks on the President’s address and discussion on it. But the opposition members started demanding discussion in the House under Rule 267. Due to uproar in the House, the Chairman adjourned the meeting for the whole day at 2.30 pm.
According to the office of the Leader of the Opposition, Congress leader Kharge had given a notice under Rule 267 to discuss the issue of investment by LIC, public sector banks and financial institutions in companies that have lost market value.
Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi had given notice to hold a discussion on a matter of urgent public importance in the wake of reported incidents of overexposure of holdings of LIC, SBI etc.
Speaking to reporters at Vijay Chowk in the presence of opposition leaders, Kharge said, “We want to say that why is the government giving loans to such companies under pressure?” He said, ‘Keeping in mind the interest of the people… keeping in mind the investment of LIC, SBI, we are demanding a discussion. Our demand is that it should be investigated either by constituting a JPC or under the leadership of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Senior Congress leader Kharge said, “After the investigation, the report should be placed before the public on a daily basis so that there is transparency and people believe that their money is saved.”
