NEW DELHI, Apr 25:
As the second half of the Budget session got underway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hoped that members of all parties will discuss issues in a democratic spirit and take good decisions.
With Opposition, mainly the Congress planning to target the Government over imposition of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand, Modi hoped that members will involve themselves in free discussions like the last time and important decisions will be taken.
He noted that the first part of the Budget session was very productive and several important legislations were passed.
“The first part of the Budget session was very productive. All the parties helped in running Parliament smoothly and many important decisions were taken. And the MPs of all parties seemed happy about this. This time too we will discuss issues with similar enthusiasm and as per the tradition of democracy and take good decisions. This is my belief,” he said.
Even as the Government has listed a heavy agenda for the session, including passage of 13 bills in Lok Sabha and 11 bills in Rajya Sabha, there is understanding among its floor managers that pushing contentious measures like GST won’t be possible in first few days.
Meanwhile, angry over imposition of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, Congress today created ruckus in Parliament, accusing the Modi dispensation of toppling democratically-elected Governments of opposition parties, a charge rejected by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The issue generated heat in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the opening day of the session with Congress members in both Houses storming the Well and party chief Sonia Gandhi joining them in raising slogans.
In the Lok Sabha, Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge and his party colleagues staged a dharna in the Well as their notice for adjournment motion on the issue was rejected by the Chair.
“It is a murder of democracy,” Kharge said as the Lower House assembled for the day, telling Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that he has given a notice for an adjournment motion on the issue. Members of JD(U) and AAP were also in the Well along with Congress.
AAP leader Bhagwant Mann was repeatedly seen pleading with the Chair to allow Kharge to have his say.
Amid a noisy protest by the treasury benches, Kharge said the Union Government is purchasing MLAs, pressurising MLAs to install BJP Government “by killing Costitution.”
The Speaker reminded Kharge that the matter is before the Supreme Court and hence he should not say anything further.
Kharge said he is referring to the action of the Central Government and not the ruling of Uttarakhand High Court which had revoked the President’s Rule. The Supreme Court later stayed the High Court’s order till April 27.
He said the BJP-Government at the Centre celebrates the Constitution Day and birthday of key architect of the document B R Ambedkar, while it has “destabilised” democratically- elected Governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
“There appears to be a great hurry by the NDA to grab power in every State… Don’t forget there is Constitution… you could have waited for the March 28 floor test but you imposed President’s Rule on March 27,” he said.
He said the House had recently discussed the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case which is also sub-judice.
BJD’s B Mahtab said his party has also given notice on the issue. “The matter is in the court. We will wait for the verdict. We are confident that the court will deliver justice. But we are against arbitrary use of Article 356,” he said.
The Home Minister said the “crisis” in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh has not been created by NDA or BJP.
“It is an internal crisis of their party,” he said and welcomed Speaker’s decision that the issue cannot be raised in the present format as it is under consideration of the apex court.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue accusing the Central Government of “deliberately provoking” the opposition and “inducing” disruption so that the House does not run.
Azad said for the last one year, it has been seen that efforts are being made by the ruling party to create a situation that the House does not function.
The senior Congress leader said he had never seen that a Government “does things during the session or just days before the session so that Parliament does not function”.
He said during winter session, the duly-elected Arunachal Pradesh Government was “brought down” and the Centre did not stop till it installed its own Government there.
Azad said President’s rule has been imposed in the past also, but never in such a “crude” way.
When he said he wanted to congratulate the judges of the Uttarakhand High Court for “having the guts to fight the Government of India”, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said there should be “no commentary” on the judicial issues.
As Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi objected to the raising of the Uttrakhand issue saying the matter was sub-judice, Azad said the Centre “which disrespects the court, cannot be trusted”.
“Discussion will take place,” he asserted, as several Congress members carrying placards stood in the aisle.
Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) countered Naqvi saying Leader of the House Arun Jaitley had said in the last session that discussion on issues, even if sub-judice, cannot be prevented in the House. “Apply your own precedents,” he said.
Anand Sharma (Cong) said the Centre used proclamation of President’s rule to disturb an elected Government. “We will discuss it. We will expose you,” he said.
Right then, Jaitley asked Congress members to debate the issue when the proclamation comes up for discussion.
“It will come up for discussion before the House. This House will have an oppourtunity to discuss it. Therefore, when the proclamation comes up, please discuss it.
“But today, you cannot by an alternative motion anticipate a discussion which is to take place when the proclamation comes up. You cannot discuss it at the pre-proclamation stage,” Jaitley said.
However, Congress members did not relent and several of them trooped into the Well. They raised slogans like ‘Modi teri taanashahi nahi chalegi’ (Modi, your authoritarianism will not work) and ‘Loktantra ki hatya bandh karo’ (stop murdering democracy). Deputy Chairman P J Kurien then adjourned the House till noon.
When it re-assembled, Congress members again raised slogans from the aisle. The House was adjourned by Chairman Hamid Ansari till 2 pm within a few minutes. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
