Following continued disruptions that forced two adjournments, the Lok Sabha started debating price rise this afternoon after the suspension of four Congress MPs was revoked.
Here are the 10 developments in Parliament today.
Parliament today witnessed protests on several issues, both inside and outside the Houses. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned soon after they met today owing to sloganeering and demonstrations by Opposition members.
In Lok Sabha, Opposition members had been protesting against the suspension of Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and TN Prathapan. The four had been suspended for the session after they waved placards during a protest in the House over price rise.
Rajya Sabha, too, saw disruptions as Shiv Sena MPs protested against the arrest of Rajya Sabha member and senior party leader Sanjay Raut in a land scam case. Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi gave a suspension of business notice, seeking a discussion on “misuse of premier investigative agencies by the Central government for political agendas”.
Members of Left parties protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue against the alleged destruction of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Holding placards, they raised slogans demanding a hike in wages under the scheme.
One of the many protests in parliament also originated in the treasury benches. BJP MPs from Bengal staged a demonstration in front of the Gandhi statue, demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over alleged irregularities in a teacher recruitment scam.
Speaker Om Birla this morning said that such protests were lowering the dignity of the House. He later called a meeting of MPs from all parties to find a way out of the impasse in Lok Sabha. The House met again after the meeting.
It was after the Speaker’s meeting that the government moved the proposal to revoke the suspension, which was then passed by the House.
The Speaker said the country is hurt by the disruptions in the House. He added that while debates and discussions are needed, it is the members’ collective responsibility to maintain the decorum of the House.
The Speaker then urged members not to bring placards to the House. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said all parties must be allowed to raise their issues in the House. The suspension of the four MPs was then revoked.
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said the government is ready for a discussion of price rise in Lok Sabha today and in Rajya Sabha tomorrow. However, he said, the suspended MPs must apologise, and the Opposition must ensure no members bring placards into the House.
