Price rise debate in Lok Sabha on Aug 1, likely in Rajya Sabha next day: Reports

Since the beginning of the session on July 18, the Opposition in both the House had been raising the issue of rising prices and GST, leading to a near washout of proceedings.

After a near washout of House proceedings for two weeks, a discussion on price rise, under Rule 193 in the Lok Sabha, will be held on August 1, reported news agency ANI. A notice regarding the discussion has been received from Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut and Congress leader Manish Tewari.

Sources said the Lok Sabha is likely to have a debate on price rise on Monday, followed by Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Since the beginning of the session on July 18, the Opposition in both the House had been raising the issue of rising prices and GST, leading to a near washout of proceedings.

The last two days of House proceedings were drowned due to "rashtrapatni" remark of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and the subsequent Lok Sabha chamber face-off between Sonia Gandhi and Union minister Smriti Irani.

Chowdhury wrote to President Droupadi Murmu on Friday and apologised to her for his "rashtrapatni" remark.

The Congress has upped the ante on Irani over the alleged heckling of Gandhi by her and BJP MPs and organised protests inside and outside Parliament and demanded that she be sacked for her behaviour.

Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi had this week told Lok Sabha that finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recovered from Covid-19 and was attending Parliament. Thus, the government was willing to hold a debate on price rise immediately.

Both the government and the Opposition have accused each other of "running away" from a debate on the issue.

The sources said on Friday that normal House proceedings would resume from Monday and the debate could first take place in the lower house, followed by the upper house.

(With inputs from PTI)