New Delhi: The ongoing confrontation between the government and the opposition over the Rafale issue continued on Tuesday that led to disruptions in the proceedings of Parliament again as both Houses were adjourned on Tuesday amid relentless protests and heated exchanges involving both sides.
As soon as the House commenced for Question Hour, leaders of different political parties started raising slogans in support of their respective demands. Tamil Nadu parties -- AIADMK and DMK, raised slogans on the Cauvery dam issue while the TDP demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh.
Appeals by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow the House to function went unheeded as Congress members displayed placards and trooped into the Well demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale jet fighter deal.
In the din, the National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was introduced in the House. The bill seeks to declare the various NIDs as institutions of national importance. In the Rajya Sabha too, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu urged the members to allow the House to function as various notices on urgent matters, ranging from cyclones affecting lives in some states to price rise to agriculture crisis, have been admitted for discussion.
However, soon after the papers were laid by the ministers, members from the two major political parties of Tamil Nadu -- AIADMK and DMK -- trooped into the Well of the House, carrying placards and shouting slogans against the construction of a dam on Cauvery river. Some members from Andhra Pradesh also displayed placards demanding special status for the state.
Amid the sloganeering, Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House Gulam Nabi Azad said that the privilege motion moved by the opposition against the government should be taken up for allegedly misleading Parliament and the Supreme Court on Rafale deal.
Naidu initially adjourned the House till 2 PM, but as the protests continued after the Rajya Sabha met again, the Chairman adjourned the House for the day.
In the Lok Sabha, upset with the disruption of proceedings, Mahajan said that the members were well aware that this was an important session as everyone will face elections after this.
She said that the government was ready for discussion, but the ruckus continued. "This does not send a good message and we have to face the public," she said, adding, "I got a message that school kids are better than us. Are we worse than school kids?"
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that even they were ready for discussion, but demanded the formation of a JPC to probe the Rafale deal so that every file related to the matter can be scrutinised. To this Mahajan said that constitution of JPC was not under her purview. The Lok Sabha proceedings barely lasted for five minutes and it was initially adjourned till noon. As the ruckus continued, only one query related to the production of garlic was taken up during the Question Hour.
It's not that only opposition parties raised slogans as BJP members too raised slogans demanding an apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi that led to disruptions in the House.
Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Supreme Court verdict has made things clear, indicating that there was no need for a JPC on the issue. Unhappy with the response, Congress members again started raising slogans, following which the House was adjourned for the day.