Combative Cong disrupts Parl, govt expresses shock
9 Dec 2015 5:38 AM IST
Combative Congress members, upset over the National Herald case, on Tuesday paralysed Parliament, protesting against alleged “vendetta politics”, leading to adjournments in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
No sooner had both the Houses assembled for the day, Congress members stormed into the Well, shouting slogans against the government and refusing to heed to the Chair’s pleas that they return to their seats and raise the issue.
While no Congress member specified the issue, their vociferous protests came a day after the Delhi high court, in a blow to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, declined to give them relief in the National Herald case and asking them to appear before the trial court. However, on Tuesday, the court allowed their exemption pleas for the day, but directed them to appear in person on December 19.
“Down with dictatorship... Vendetta politics won’t work,” the Congress members shouted in the Lok Sabha.
With proceeding being disrupted, MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said what had happened in a day that shook the Congress members so much. “The nation wants to hear what their issue is. Nobody knows it. We are ready to hear. Let them go to their seats and raise it,” he said.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan chided Congress members and continued with the Question Hour amidst the uproar. “I am ready to allow you to speak but I don’t know what your issue is. Someone tell me what is your issue,” she said.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned the first time for about 25 minutes soon after it assembled at 11 am. When it reconvened at 11:30 am, Congress members again trooped into the Well raising slogans like “politics of vendetta won’t be tolerated”, “we will fight for our rights” and “we are neither scared nor will we get bogged down”. Amid din, the House was adjourned till 2 pm around noon after laying of papers by ministers and tabling of reports by the Parliamentary Standing Committees.
The Upper House witnessed similar scene and was adjourned four times.
As Congress members continued raising slogans like “dictatorship will not be allowed”, members in the treasury benches countered them and hit back with slogans like “chor machaye shor” (thieves making noise). Chairman Hamid Ansari’s pleas to allow the Question Hour to function remained unheard, after which he adjourned the House till 12:30 pm. When the House reassembled, the Congress members again stormed into the Well, raising slogans. Ansari, then, adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha saw similar protests when they re-assembled at 2 pm, forcing adjournment till 3 pm.
When the Lok Sabha met at 2 pm, Congress members, aggressively guided by Sonia Gandhi, continued to raise slogans while Deputy Speaker Thambidurai wanted to take up discussion on drought situation in the country.
Rudy said he was “surprised and shocked” over the attitude of Congress members when the House wanted to discuss the condition of farmers affected by drought. He said he had tried to talk to leaders of various parties to see how House could function normally but Gandhi had “obstructed” this.
Gandhi was seen aggressively confabulating with members of her party as well as those of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Meanwhile, Congress leader Kapil Sibal attacked BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and branded him as a tool being used by the party to persecute and prosecute the grand old party. “Who is Subramanian Swamy? He is the power of attorney holder of the BJP to persecute and prosecute the Congress and a member of their central committee. He has been given the specific task of targeting us and this is their methodology used by the BJP, so he is his master’s voice. And the way the BJP has been targeting Congress leaders in the past year, shows they have no idea how to govern this country,” he said.
Cong diverting attention, govt has no role in Herald case: Naidu
Hitting out at the Congress for disrupting proceedings in Parliament, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the government had no role to play at all in the National Herald case, in which Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul have been summoned to appear by the court.
“They should contest it in court. How can you hold the government responsible. It is totally unfair and irresponsible to fix it on the government as they could not face the truth. They are now trying to blame the government,” he said. Congress members, upset over the National Herald case, on Tuesday paralysed Parliament.
Naidu said it was “totally unethical, unfair and undemocratic on the part of the Congress to obstruct Parliament’s functioning on account of the case, which has been taken up by the judiciary, where the government has no role to play at all.” He said there is no political vendetta on the part of the government and it is steadfast focussing its attention on the issues of development, repairing the economy, bringing back administration and providing good governance.
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the case was completely in the domain of the courts. By giving it the dimension that it is political vendetta, “are they (Congress) suggesting that the courts are now playing politics. What a shame Congress party,” she said.
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