Govt-Opposition stalemate stalls Parliament again

NEWDELHI: People of the country have been let down... How long do you want to justify the present wrong, based on the past. People are aspiring for a change.

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the 15th day on Friday as the stalemate between the Opposition and the government continued for the third week of the second leg of the budget session with ruckus prevailing unabated.

While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day in less than 20 minutes after it assembled , the Lok Sabha was first adjourned till noon and then for the day after laying of the listed papers.

The Lower House also did not take up the no-confidence motion against the government due to the noisy protests. It has been a week since the motion has not been taken up due to the unruly scenes.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had last Friday announced that she had received two notices for the motion but was unable to start the process due to the disruptions.

The Rajya Sabha could not transact any business as opposition parties continued to create ruckus, forcing the adjournment of proceedings.

Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the proceedings for the day but not before expressing anguish over the Upper House not functioning since it met on March 5.

Naidu said past disruptions should not be cited to justify the “present wrong” and expressed hope that the government will take the Opposition into confidence to ensure that the House functions next week.

He said it was distressing that the Rajya Sabha has not discharged its mandate for three weeks. “People of the country M VENKAIAH NAIDU , Rajya Sabha chairman,on frequent adjournments

have been let down.”

Andhra parties, including the TDP, trooped into the Well shouting slogans for special status to the state, while Tamil Nadu parties - DMK and AIADMK demanded setting up of the Cauvery management board for water sharing between the states.

Congress members too raised slogans against the government’s “biasness against scheduled castes and tribes”.

Naidu said that while some may cite past instances to justify the present impasse, the threeweek long disruption had no justification. “How long do you want to justify the present wrong, based on the past,” he said. “People of the country are aspiring for a change. Should the change not begin from Rajya Sabha.”

The Lok Sabha proceedings were also disrupted again on Fridat due to noisy protests by the AIADMK and TRS members, following which Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expressed her inability to take up the notices for no-confidence motion against the government and later adjourned the proceedings for the day.

At least 50 members need to support a no-confidence notice for the House to accept it and start a debate.