RS disrupted again over vacancies in panels

RAJYA SABA witnessed seven adjournments and repeated disruptions Tuesday as Opposition MPS, mainly Congress, SP and BSP, attacked the government over vacancies in the national commissions for SCS, STS, OBCS and minorities.

The government cited such delays during the UPA regime, too, and said the current delay has been due to the model code of conduct in five states that held elections recently.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s reply on the Finance Bill could not take place; zero hour too was washed out. Four MPS had earlier given a notice under Rule 267 for taking up the matter but the chairman denied permission. As members insisted, deputy chairman P J Kurien offered a discussion Wednesday and requested members to allow the Finance Bill to be taken up, but in vain.

Slogans exchanged included “Anti-dalit, anti-backward, anti-minority” from one side, and “Yeh kya tamasha hai, haar ki hatasha hai” from the other.

Ministers Venkaiah Naidu (I&B), Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (Minority Affairs) and Thawar Chand Gehlot (Social Justice & Empowerment) rose to counter the attack.

Naidu accused the SP, the BSP and the Congress of trying to “make it a political issue” since “people have rejected them in elections.” “These people want to mislead the country. What had they done during their regime?...” Naidu said in the morning. “.I have with me the statement made by Backward Classes Commission chairman Justice Eswaraiah. The entire country is wholeheartedly welcoming the prime minister’s decision of having constitutional status for the Backward Classes Commission.”

In the afternoon, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad hit back, saying Bjp-ruled Gujarat had not set up such commissions for five or six years. “Sometime back,” Azad added, “a notification was issued under which Urdu was taken off examinations of NEET for MBBS and technical education. This shows how much love and affection this government has for SCS, backward classes and minorities... How you want to finish them is becoming evident.”

Sharad Yadav (JD-U) cited figures to show a low representation of SCS, STS and OBCS among teachers in IIT, JNU and Delhi University.

Naqvi stressed the government’s commitment to the empowerment of the poor, backward classes and Dalits. Gehlot said while appointments to some panels have been made after having been stuck on account of the model code of conduct, the process is on in other bodies.

Naresh Agrawal (SP) accused the ministers of giving “fake figures”. Pramod Tiwari (Congress) said the government is not making appointments as it its intentions are “ill”.

During noisy scenes in the morning, there came an announcement about a parliamentary delegation from Namibia being present in the House. Some of the MPS agitating in the well went back to their seats, as if apologetically, only to walk back almost at once.