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Opposition walks out of Rajya Sabha, govt wants special committee probe
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge said there were more marshals then members present in the house. He also claimed that marshals had manhandled some of the women MPs in Rajya Sabha
The government on Wednesday said a special Rajya Sabha committee should investigate all incidents of protest and indiscipline by Member of Parliaments (MPs) from Opposition parties in the Upper House during the monsoon session.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the protests that saw some Opposition MPs tear papers, fling files and manhandle the marshals in the House cannot be tolerated. “Just as a special committee was set up in the Lok Sabha, a similar committee should be constituted to carry out an investigation (into the protests in Rajya Sabha),” he said.
Shortly before the Upper House was adjourned sine die, Opposition MPs staged a walkout following a ruckus. They objected to the presence of security personnel during the passage of the insurance amendment Bill. The opposition has been accusing the government of putting key bills to vote without discussions amid din in the Parliament.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge said there were more marshals then members present in the house. He said marshals had manhandled some of the women MPs and women were not safe even within Parliament.
Speaking in the House, Goyal said the protesting MPs violated all Covid protocols while protesting in the well of the House. He said the disruptions were “pre- planned” and claimed that an opposition leader was quoted to have said that the aim was to ensure that the session was a washout, and that another one had said that no matter how hard the government tries the session will not be allowed to work till August 13.
“When the government agreed to have a discussion on all the issues raised by the Opposition there were no chances of a washout so eventually the Opposition kept changing its stand. There was competitive opposition on how to disrupt the house,” he said. Goyal went on to say that on the day when India was observing the anniversary of the Quit India movement, the opposition continued to disturb the house and their behaviour “will be recorded in black letters.”
He also took potshots at the Congress and said the party did not even attend the all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on the issue of Covid crisis.
Objecting to how the bills were passed, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “Insurance Amendment Bill to privatise GIC was passed in RS with a large force of security personnel present. The Govt refused to send it to a Select Committee — a demand by all Opposition parties including those close to BJP. What happened this evening was worse than atrocious!”
CPI’s Binoy Visvam also tweeted, “A black day for parliament. They have virtually made it a military barrack. Brute force was used against members including women. What was our crime? We opposed the insurance bill. It, in fact was insurance annihilation Bill. 'Atmanirbhar BJP' has surrendered India to capitalists.”
Congress MPs Phulo Devi Netam and Chayya Varma alleged that they were pushed around by male marshals. They told media persons outside the House that the marshals did not show respect even to women MPs.
Parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi said there was CCTV footage to prove that some Opposition MPs attempted manhandling inside the house. He said the government will give a request in writing to the Rajya Sabha chairperson to set up a committee to take strict action against the Opposition MPs who indulged in such behaviour.
On the last day of the session, the Upper House passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021 to restore the states’ powers to have their own list of OBCs for reservation in jobs in educational institutions.
The House also passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 without discussion and amid sloganeering by the Opposition MPs. The Bill seeks to provide greater private participation in the public sector insurance companies. Earlier, the Opposition parties had demanded that the bill be referred to a select committee of the House.
