NEW DELHI, Dec 9;
The Winter Session of Parliament had a stormy start with first working today being washed out due to protests over controversial 2G report of the JPC, death of children in Muzaffarnagar relief camps, price rise and Telangana.
As soon as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha assembled for the day, members of Telugu Desam Party, Left and BSP rushed to the Well raising various demands.
Both the Houses were adjourned twice amid continued slogan-shouting – the first time till noon and then till 2 PM.
When the Houses re-assembled at 2 PM, they again saw uproar over same issues and were adjourned for the day.
In both the Houses, TDP members opposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and displayed placards in the Well that said ‘Save Andhra Pradesh’.
BSP members displayed copies of news reports regarding plight of Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) riot victims staying in relief camps.
Members of Left parties protested disallowing of discussion on the price situation after they moved adjournment motions on the issue. A UPA MP and Kerala Congress-M leader Jose K Mani protested against the import of rubber and demanded a complete ban on it.
The JPC report, which gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the 2G spectrum scam saying he was “misled” by the then Telecom Minister A Raja, was today tabled in Lok Sabha amid pandemonium.
The report was tabled by JPC Chairman P C Chacko after Speaker Meira Kumar disallowed any debate on the issue at the presentation stage during Zero Hour.
This prompted members of DMK, UPA’s erstwhile partner, and Opposition members, including those from the BJP, Left, Trinamool Congress, BJD and Shiromani Akali Dal, to stand up in protest.
The Winter Session started on December 5 but the first two days were adjourned as a mark of respect for two departed sitting MPs and South African leader Nelson Mandela.
Raising the issue of JPC report in the Lok Sabha, Yashwant Sinha, Harin Pathak (both BJP), Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) and Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool) shouted that the report was a “fraud” on the Constitution, while DMK members walked out of the House.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani also rose to say something to the Speaker but could not be heard in the din.
DMK members, including T R Baalu and former Telecom Minister A Raja, later returned to the House and trooped into the Well as one of their members tore some papers, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings till 2 PM.
Apart from giving a clean chit to the Prime Minister, it rubbishes the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore estimated by CAG, saying it was “ill-conceived”. Opposition members in the JPC have termed it as a “bundle of contradictions”.
In Rajya Sabha, BSP members trooped into the Well to demand dismissal of Uttar Pradesh Government as they displayed newspaper reports saying children had died in Muzaffarnagar relief camps.
SP members were on their feet raising the issue of price hike, but they could not be heard in the din.
Two TDP members – C M Ramesh and Y S Chaudhary – too were in the Well displaying placard in favour of united Andhra Pradesh.
Chairman Hamid Ansari repeatedly asked members not to display banners and return to their seats.
As members did not heed his request, he adjourned the House till noon.
When the House re-assembled, Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP) wanted to raise the issue of the death of 50 children in Muzaffarnagar relief camps due to cold.
As Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked them to raise the issue later, BSP members, who were already on their feet, trooped into the Well shouting slogans seeking “removal” of the Samajwadi Party Government in UP. (PTI)
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