No end in sight to House impasse

Unruly and noisy scenes marked both Houses of Parliament as the Opposition parties as well as NDA allies Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam and AIADMK stalled proceedings in protest over a slew of issues, including the vandalisation of statues and the banking fraud.

Amid uproarious scenes and high- pitched sloganeering, the Lok Sabha had to be adjourned till 12 noon with the Opposition members vociferously shouting over their demands. Members of the AIADMK and AAP held up photos of Dravidian icon Thanthai Periyar and raised slogans condemning the incident in Vellore where his statue was vandalised.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi members raised slogans demanding a hike in Telangana’s quota in reservation, while the TDP pressed for the grant of special status for Andhra Pradesh and the Shiv Sena sought classical language status for Marathi.

As soon as the session began at 12 noon, the protesting MPs were again up in arms, demanding in one voice that the government bring fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, accused of a ` 12,700- crore fraud, back to the country. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had no option but to adjourn the proceedings for the day.

The Lok Sabha impasse over the PNB scam is likely to continue this week as a meeting called by the Speaker to ensure smooth functioning was inconclusive, with the Opposition insisting on an adjournment motion.

Some Opposition leaders who were present said the issue remained unresolved as there was no unanimity. The Opposition has also been insisting that the discussion be held under a rule which entails voting.

Since an adjournment motion disrupts the normal business of the House and is seen as an extraordinary tool in Parliament, governments are usually wary of accepting any such demand.

With the first three days of the resumed Budget Session seeing frequent adjournments, the government has made it clear it is ready for a discussion on the issue of alleged financial irregularities in the banking sector, saying that finance minister Arun Jaitley will reply to the debate. The Rajya Sabha too saw similar scenes just after noon and was first adjourned till 2 pm and then for the day.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu expressed concern over the vandalisation of statues in different parts of the country: “It’s a shame. It’s mad, mad, mad... Whoever does it, whether it is in Tamil Nadu, whether it is West Bengal or Tripura.”