Lok Sabha
The Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday demanded the revocation of the suspension of the four Congress MPs, but the government insisted that it can be withdrawn provided the opposition members give assurance that they will not enter the Well or display placards in the House.
The demand was made by the Nationalist Congress Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The Congress members were not present in the House.
Several Congress MPs had been detained after staging a protest at Vijay Chowk against the alleged "misuse" of probe agencies.
Responding to the appeals by the opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "With the speaker's permission, we are ready to withdraw, but are you ready to take guarantee that they will not come inside with placards and will not come into the well?"
As the House met at 2 pm after it was disrupted twice in the morning, NCP leader Supriya Sule said the Opposition is willing to cooperate with the government for the smooth functioning of the House.
"Yesterday (Tuesday) and we request today (Wednesday) also, that four of our members should be forgiven and brought back to the House. We want a debate, we want to cooperate with the government. Allow our members to come back and we will not go into the Well of the House," Sule said after the chair, Rama Devi, allowed her to speak on the impasse in the House.
"I am saying it on the behalf of the Opposition that we want to run the House," Sule added.
Echoing her views, TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay also said the suspension of the four members be revoked if it is a feeling of the House.
"(Pralhad) Joshiji has announced that the government is prepared to have a discussion on price rise, we are also prepared to take part in the debate. Let this issue be sorted out and let the debate start," he said.
DMK's A Raja said, "What happened yesterday is not healthy for democracy. I have been on both sides in the House. Coming to the well, democratically protesting with placards is not unknown to this House."
"With folded hands, I say don't value numerical strength in this House. Healthy debate will not stand before numerical strength. Please reconsider, withdraw the decision and thereafter we are willing to participate in the debates. On behalf of the DMK, I say that the suspension be withdrawn immediately," he said.
Joshi asserted that from the time of the all-party meeting till Wednesday morning, the government has said categorically that it is ready for the debate demanded by the Opposition.
"I also requested that if you want the debate today we are ready for it. Despite this, the whole of last week was wasted by them (Opposition) and it is happening again.
"If they want we are ready to take it (suspension) back, but will they take a guarantee that they will not come into the well, will not come into the well with placards and will not place the placards before the face of the speaker," he said.
Are the Opposition members ready to take the guarantee on behalf of their parties and the Congress, he asked.
"With the speaker's permission, we are ready to withdraw, but are you ready to take guarantee that they will not come inside with placards and will not come into the well. We are ready for debate, why is it a problem for the Opposition to take guarantee," Joshi said.
He also recalled an incident when the BJP was in the Opposition and he had come into the well and the then leader of House, Pranab Mukherjee, had opposed it and L K Advani had stopped him from going there.
"They (opposition members) come here to stand before the prime minister and not only that, they try to show placards in the face of the speaker," Joshi said.
Four Congress Lok Sabha members were suspended on Monday for the rest of the monsoon session after Speaker Om Birla took a stern view of the continuous disruptions by them, evoking a sharp reaction from the party, which termed the action against its MPs a "blot on democracy".
The suspension of Congress MPs -- Manickam Tagore, TN Prathapan, Ramya Haridas and Jothimani-- under Rule 374 for obstructing the functioning of the House, came amidst continuous demand of the Opposition for a discussion on price rise and hike in GST rates.
Defending the action against these MPs from Lok Sabha, Joshi, who had moved the motion to suspend them, on Monday said the government is ready for discussion on price rise, but the MPs did not respect the chair and created a ruckus by violating the laws.
Rajya Sabha
Leaders of many opposition parties met Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday and demanded the suspension of 20 MPs be revoked, but Naidu made it clear that it can happen only after the MPs express regret over their "misconduct".
Sources said 10 leaders of opposition parties met Naidu in his Chamber and raised the issue and their demand for a discussion on price rise.
Stating that the number of suspended members was on the higher side, they suggested that the action may be revoked so as to have good attendance in the House.
They also suggested that a specific date may be indicated on which the issue of price rise could be discussed.
Some leaders felt that unconditional revocation of suspension would be appropriate, the sources said.
Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and MoS (Parliamentary Affairs) Muraleedharan also joined the meeting.
Sources said the issue of price rise is likely to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha early next week.
A broad understanding in this regard was arrived this morning in the meetings of chairman Naidu with the leaders of Opposition and the ministers concerned, they said.
The ministers recalled that the government had expressed its readiness in the House for such a discussion once Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recovers from Covid.
They further informed that since Sitharaman returned to office, price rise can be scheduled for discussion any day and the date in both the Houses of Parliament will be finalised in consultation with the Lok Sabha speaker.
Some Opposition leaders suggested that the discussion can be scheduled soon after the revocation of the suspension of members or after the suspension period which is till the end of this week.
While some leaders of Opposition said that any minister could have replied to the discussion earlier on price rise, some others felt that the finance minister is the most appropriate to do so given the issues involved.
On the issue of suspension of members, Naidu urged the Opposition leaders to understand the agony that the presiding officer would go through before naming the erring members.
Sources said that Naidu categorically told the leaders that revocation of suspension could be considered if only the erring members realise the gravity of their misconduct in the House and express regret.
He further said that such naming and suspensions are resorted to as a last resort to uphold the prestige and dignity of the House, they said.
Naidu urged the leaders to advise respective party members not to disrupt the proceedings of the House.
He is learnt to have further noted that as many as 19 members trooping into the well of the House, shouting slogans and obstructing the proceedings of the House is a matter of serious concern and merit to be acted against.
Particularly so, after several appeals by the Deputy Chairman Harivansh for not doing so were disregarded.
Naidu is learnt to have told opposition leaders that as many as 63 members of Lok Sabha were similarly suspended in 1989 and another 25 in 2015 for persistent violation of the rules of the house and disruptions.
The chairman also had a meeting with Sitharaman and enquired about her health and readiness to reply to the debate on the issue of price rise.
Naidu also called to his chamber a member who was reported to have shot videos of the proceedings of the House and uploaded them on social media.
The member was told about the infringement of the rules of the House in doing so and was asked not to repeat, the sources said.
The member said that the video recording was done only on the first day of the session and will not be repeated.
Those who met Naidu were Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal of Congress, Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena), Elamaram Kareem (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Binoy Viswam (Communist Party of India), Suresh Reddy (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) and Vaiko (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).
So far 20 members of Rajya Sabha have been suspended for the remainder of the week for their unruly behaviour in the house in disregard to the rules and the chair.
