NRC RUCKUS SHUTS RS FOR FOURTH DAY

The Trinamool Congress created an uproar in the post-lunch session in the Rajya Sabha on the Assam National Register of Citizen (NRC) issue forcing adjournment of the House for the fourth consecutive day.

Lost in the pandemonium a short-duration discussion on the recent hike in the minimum support prices (MSP) listed in the name of BJP President Amit Shah, general secretary Bhupender Yadav and members of seven other parties. Shah wanted the discussion to paint the Modi government's pro-farmer act. The Chairman tried to start the debate but the House got shut for the day in the wake of the pandemonium.

After allowing the zero hour and question hour in the forenoon session, Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien created a flutter in the afternoon demanding a reply from Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the NRC issue.

Rajnath Singh was in the House on Wednesday but a pandemonium made him say that he was tabling his reply, though no such reply was still available to the members to exercise their right of queries.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu first gave an assurance to call the home minister for reply, but later said he had rejected Derek's notice under rule 267 for the reply. "You have not allowed the minister to reply and now you are askine me to reply. What can I do? He came yesterday and a day before yesterday but he was not allowed to reply," the Chairman said.

He adjourned the House for the day when the opposition members joined the Trinamool Congress and created a ruckus.

On Wednesday, the Chairman tried his best to let Amit Shah complete his inconclusive speech but Shah himself gave up in the wake of the pandemonium, saying "I know that the Hon'ble Members of the opposition do not want to listen to me; so you please go ahead with the proceedings of the House."