Chaos in Parliament, no resolution in sight

Parties disrupt Lok Sabha; Naidu says Rajya Sabha a ‘laughing stock’

NEWDELHI: Both houses of Parliament plunged into chaos on Tuesday, day two of the Budget session’s second leg, with a range of opposition parties and allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)storming the well of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on diverse issues.

Loud protests by the Congress and the Trinamool Congress over the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, suspected to have been carried out by jewellery designer Nirav Modi, washed out proceedings in the two houses for the second consecutive day.

Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu chided the MPs for reducing Parliament to a ‘laughing stock’. MPs from Andhra Pradesh demanded special category status for the state; AIADMK members from Tamil Nadu raised placards to press for a Cauvery water management board; the Telangana Rashtra Samiti wanted a constitutional amendment to enable reservations beyond 50%; and the Shiv Sena demanded recognition of Marathi as a ‘classical language’.

But the big battle revolved around the alleged ₹12,600 crore PNB fraud, with no end to the impasse in sight. Treasury and opposition benches argued over the rules under which they would discuss the matter. A key dispute arose between the government and the opposition over framing of the language of the debate. The Congress wanted the debate to stick to Nirav Modi’s case, but the government insisted on discussing banking irregularities that have happened “over the years”.

A short duration debate on “systemic irregularities in banking sector over the years and its impact on India economy” was listed in the Lok Sabha, but it was drowned out by noise in the well of the house. Congress MPs raised slogans such as “Chota Modi (Nirav Modi) kahan gaya? Pradhan Mantri Jawab do... Nirav Modi vapas lao.”

Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge asked for an adjournment motion – a rule under which all other legislative business is suspended to debate a matter of urgent public importance – but the government accused the Congress of running away from a debate. “We agreed to start the debate at noon today, but the Congress is running away, fearing skeletons will tumble out of its closets if a debate happens,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said.

But Kharge alleged that the contents of his adjournment motion were changed after it was decided at a meeting of the business advisory committee that the issue would be discussed in the House under Rule 193 that does not entail voting.