Parliament proceedings were adjourned for a second day on Monday over the insinuations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.
Lok Sabha:
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the second day on Monday amid Congress protests over insinuations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh even as the government managed to introduce five Bills in the ruckus.
Members from the Congress and the Left, who also sought to raise certain issues, trooped into the Well during the Zero Hour.
Amid the uproar by the Opposition, five Bills were introduced after the papers listed for the day were laid. Various standing committee reports and statements by ministers were also tabled.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tabled the ‘Supplementary Demand for Grants - Second Batch for 2017-18’.
Congress members raised slogans against the prime minister and demanded an apology for his remarks against Singh. Left members were trying to raise certain issues which could not be heard in the din.
As the protests continued, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day.
The five Bills which were introduced are ‘The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill’, ‘The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill’, The Dentists (Amendment) Bill’, ‘The Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill’ and ‘The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill’.
Earlier soon after the House assembled for the day, the proceedings were adjourned till noon following noisy scenes amid sloganeering from both sides of the House.
While Bharatiya Janata Party members raised slogans hailing the prime minister and the party, the opposition raked up the remarks made by him against Singh. Some other opposition members raised the issue of floods in Odisha.
Rajya Sabha:
Congress members disrupted proceedings in the Rajya Sabha over Modi’s comments against his predecessor Manmohan Singh forcing the adjournment of the House without transacting any legislative business.
The House was first adjourned till noon barely 10 minutes after it assembled for the day.
As the House met at noon for Question Hour after an earlier adjournment, Congress leader Anand Sharma demanded a clarification by the PM on his remarks about Singh, a sitting Rajya Sabha member.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu insisted on taking up a question but some Congress members were seen standing in the aisle as Sharma kept pressing his point, saying the allegations had also been made against a former vice president and also a former army chief.
Naidu persisted on continuing with the Question Hour suggesting that a separate notice be moved which he would considered.
Meanwhile, several Congress members began shouting slogans. The vice president asked them to abstain from sloganeering saying the entire country was watching the proceedings.
However, as the ruckus continued, a visibly agitated Naidu remarked “I do not want this kind of thing to be seen by the people” and adjourned the proceedings for the day as Congress members were seen walking into the Well.
Earlier, soon after the House assembled for the day, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the proceedings till noon after Congress members stormed the Well demanding an explanation from Modi for his remarks made at an election rally alleging that Singh had colluded with Pakistan against the BJP in the Gujarat assembly poll.
