Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned four times in a row following a fierce war or words that broke out in the lower house between treasury and opposition members over remarks made by minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur on the Nehru-Gandhi family, leading to the first adjournment of the lower house during the monsoon session of Parliament.
The house resumed at 6.00 pm after Speaker Om Birla’s appeal for ending the disruption in Parliament. He appealed to the members to maintain the dignity of the house.
“It is my responsibility to protect all the members, I would request Mr. Anurag Thakur to say a few words on the objections raised by the other members,” Birla said.
Following the speaker’s appeal Thakur expressed regret over his remarks.
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“I had no intent to hurt the sentiments of anybody. If anyone is hurt then I regret it,” Thakur said.
The proceedings of the lower house were adjourned four times in a row since 4.00 pm over the uproar followed by Thakur’s remarks.
During a discussion on the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill in the lower house, Thakur accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of cheating the public through creation of various funds under different names after Congress leaders, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari criticised the PM CARES fund.
The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, seeks to provide the same tax treatment to PM CARES Fund as available to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
“Nehru ji ordered the creation of the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund in 1948, like a royal order but its registration has not been done even till today. How did it get FCRA clearance?” Thakur said.
{{/usCountry}}“Nehru ji ordered the creation of the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund in 1948, like a royal order but its registration has not been done even till today. How did it get FCRA clearance?” Thakur said.
{{/usCountry}}From the high court to the Supreme Court, every court has validated the PM-CARES fund. Little children have contributed to it from their piggy banks. Nehru set up a fund that has not been registered till date. You (Congress) only made a trust for the benefit of the Gandhi family. You made Sonia Gandhi its chairman. It should be investigated,” he added.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also took a dig at the MoS calling him a “boy from Himachal”.
“Who is this boy from Himachal”… “How did Nehru come into this debate? Did we take (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi’s name?” he lashed out.
Irked by the remark, opposition members demanded an apology from the MoS. Some MPs of Congress also staged a walk out in protest against the remark. The Lok Sabha speaker adjourned the house and called for a meeting of floor leaders to resolve the disruption.
Later, defence minister Rajnath Singh praised the speaker for having resolved the differences. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said the speaker is respected by all members of the house. “We all should keep in mind that we have come together to attend the proceedings in adverse circumstances, we are here to dispense our responsibilities. None of the members have any complaint against you; we have confidence that you as a guardian will protect all the members. We all will run the House smoothly and protect its dignity, it is the responsibility of all Members,” Chowdhary said.