NEW DELHI : Slogan-shouting Congress members today forced the adjournment of Rajya Sabha till noon after the government rejected their demand for a discussion on a motion on dismissal of the party’s government there.
Congress members trooped into the Well of the House raising slogans against the Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said no discussion other than on proclamation of President Rule in Uttarakhand can take place.
Justifying imposition of central rule in the state, Jaitley said the “real breakdown of constitutional machinery” happened in Uttarakhand when the presiding officer (Speaker) “ignored” the vote of 35 out of 67 members against the appropriation bill to declare it passed.
Deputy Chairman P J Kurien’s pleading that the Chair was in favour of a discussion and the protestors should allow the House to function went unheeded, forcing him to adjourn the proceedings till 1200 hours.
Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Pramod Tiwari gave notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up discussion on use of Article 356 by the Centre to dismiss a democractically elected government in Uttrakhand.
While Naresh Agrawal (SP) too gave notice under same rule for discussion on the issue, Mayawati (BSP) supported the demand for suspension of business to take up the debate.
Jaitley said it had never happened in the history of independent India that a presiding officer of a state assembly has converted majority into minority and vice versa.
“This is the real breakdown of constitutional machinery,” he said.
He said 35 out of the 67 members in Uttrakhand assembly voted against the appropriation bill but the presiding officer came to conclusion that the bill has been passed. “That is breakdown of constitutional machinery.”
The Minister said discussion will take place when the proclamation for President’s Rule is placed before the House. “There is no procedure of having pre-proclamation discussion,” he said. (AGENCIES)
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