Rajya Sabha: Oppoition bats for return of 12 MPs

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday amid protests by Opposition parties over their demand to revoke the suspension of 12 members of the House. As soon as the House reassembled at 4 pm following four adjournments of varying durations, Deputy Chairman Harivansh called Home Minister Amit Shah to give a statement on the Nagaland firing incident in which 14 civilians were killed.

Even as the minister was making a statement, Opposition members kept raising slogans against the government. Shah had made the same statement earlier in the Lok Sabha. As soon as Shah finished his statement, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House for the day as Opposition members refused to relent and continued their uproar over the suspension of 12 MPs.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 4 pm as the House was unable to function amid protests by opposition MPs who had trooped inside the well over the suspension issue. This was the fourth adjournment of the day. After the House assembled at 3 pm following the third adjournment, Sasmit Patra, who was in the Chair, called for a short-term discussion on the situation in the country due to inflation, including the rise in the prices of petroleum products.

Patra called the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak on the matter. The septuagenarian leader, however, asked the chair to first revoke the suspension of the 12 MPs and allow them to participate in the discussion. Kharge said, “In a democracy, it is a crime to run the House and start a discussion after suspending 12 members.”

Twelve Opposition MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha last Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their “unruly” conduct in the previous session in August.

Patra said that the proposal for the short-term discussion was brought by them only and now they don’t want to discuss it. “This topic is decided by them. The opposition wanted to discuss this and the government has agreed for this discussion,” said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “They are talking about democracy and we have agreed for it. Is it not democracy and spirit of the house?” We are not running away from debate. We want to debate and discuss price hikes but you are seeing this. This is the hypocrisy of the opposition,” Sitharaman said pointing towards the MPs who trooped in the well of the House with placards and were raising slogans.

Kharge then continued with his plea to call the suspended MPs to the House, Harivansh called the name of Anand Sharma then Fauzia Khan and subsequently Manoj Jha to participate in the debate. However, no member spoke a word on the issue of price rise. As the protest continued, he adjourned the House for an hour till 3 PM.