The ‘weather’ forecast for Parliament came true today when the monsoon session began to take up important issues concerning the nation. The intention of the Opposition members led by the Congress was clear when the Rajya Sabha took up a notice of Anand Sharma of the Congress for a discussion on the role of the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in facilitating visa for Lalit Modi, now in Britain. Even as Anand Sharma was demanding suspension of all business to take up the discussion, I saw the leader of the House Arun Jaitley on his feet telling the Chair that the government was ready for discussion here and now. He assured the House that Sushma Swaraj would be here to reply. The opposition members were disarmed totally. They did not know what to do. Suddenly Members from the Opposition benches ‘stormed’ into the well of the House forcing the Deputy Chairman to adjourn the House for 30 minutes. A couple of Members were seen carrying some posters in their hands.
A milder storm hit the House when it resumed sitting at 12 noon, slogans and noises from the Opposition. This time Honourable Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Hamid Ansari himself was present but failed to pacify the Members to allow the proceedings to go on. It was Question Hour. The House was adjourned again to meet at 12.30 p.m. Repeat performance of the Opposition, the House was adjourned yet another time to meet at 2 p.m. despite Arun Jaitley, again agreeing for a discussion immediately and reiterating that Sushma Swaraj will be here within minutes.
It was 2 p.m., Anand Sharma who had moved the motion for discussion was absent when the Rajua Sabha resumed. Despite the government agreeing for discussion and the Chair allowing the discussion, some Congress Members crated ruckus coming to the Well of the House forcing the Rajya Sabha to be adjourned once again.
Outside the House, Anand Sharma was giving sermon to the BJP and the NDA government about ‘tradition and precedent’. May I ask what tradition Sharma was talking of. It is the tradition of the Congress Party and its leaders to resort to disruptions and create pandemonium in the House. The Opposition has every right to raise questions and demand reply from the government of the day on matters concerning the nation. This is the essence of democratic tradition. The NDA or for that matter the BJP have never denied the right of the Opposition Members to raise issues and demand discussions. In fact Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an all Party meeting yesterday assured the Opposition that the government was ready for discussion on any subject that the Opposition wanted to raise. But at the same time, he appealed and sought cooperation from the Opposition members for clearing some important bills pending before Parliament in this session.
Surprisingly, after telling the hounrable Speaker of Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan at all party meeting that the Opposition was ready to extend cooperation on conditions that discussion involving chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj are allowed and Prime Minister should come forward to make statement in the House on these issues.
It is not at all necessary for the Prime Minister to make statement on every issue raised in Parliament. The Congress forgets that if matters related to States are allowed to be raised and discussed in Parliament, there are cases of bribe by an American firm to some former Congress Ministers including a former chief minister of the Congress Party.
Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President who met her Party’s MPs in Parliament House today has asked them to raise the issues and demand discussions in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. The Lok Sabha was adjourned after the obituary references. But the Congress leadership has failed to garner the support of some other Opposition parties like the Samajadi Party, the AIADMK and Trinamool Congress on forcing adjournment after adjournment and not allowing Parliament to function. Only the Left parties are said to have sided with the Congress demanding resignations of BJP chief ministers.
I wait and watch and hope that some good sense would prevail upon the Congress to let Parliament function. The Opposition can raise any matter for which the government is ready to reply.
....R. K. Sinha, MP (Rajya Sabha)
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