Farmers Movement Archive

Had decisive majority in RS: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The Centre refuted on Monday claims by Opposition leaders that it did not have the numbers to push through two controversial farm bills in the Rajya Sabha and said the conduct of some members did not allow a division of votes to take place.Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad along with cabinet colleagues, railway minister Piyush Goyal and parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi, held a press conference where they blamed opposition members of trying to “humiliate” deputy Rajya Sabha chairperson Harivansh.Prasad claimed that the government had a decisive majority among the members present in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday -- 110 in favour and 72 against.“If Opposition members had gone to their place, there would have been voting. And their defeat was certain. But their agenda was not to let the bill pass,” claimed Prasad.Prasad called the Opposition’s behaviour “the tyranny of minority”, a phrase coined by former finance minister Arun Jaitley. “You will not follow rules, break mikes, attack deputy chairman and then talk of democracy, this won’t do,” the law minister said.A top parliamentary authority told HT that the number count in the Upper House revealed that the National Democratic Alliance and its supporters were 32 votes ahead of the Opposition bloc. A number of members have stayed away from the proceedings of the 250-member House because of concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic.The comments came a day after the Rajya Sabha turned into a battleground over the passage of two agricultural reform bills — the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020.The Upper House saw senior leaders charge towards the seat of Harivansh, who was presiding over the proceedings; jump onto tables; and shoot videos of the ruckus. The bills were eventually cleared by a voice vote with the Opposition alleging its demand for a division (voting through paper ballots) on the legislation was rejected.Prasad said Harivansh was a person of international eminence from Bihar and the way he was treated hurt the people of the state. Prasad said the decision by opposition members to not leave the House after they were suspended was a violation of rules and patently illegal.Referring to the incidents on Sunday, Prasad said Joshi had requested that the House keep functioning until the bill under consideration was passed – but that opposition members did not pay heed to the request and rushed to the well of the House.“There is enough visual evidence available that if the marshals would not have protected the deputy chairperson Harivansh ji, he would have been nearly been physically assaulted as to what was happening just by his side on the podium,” Prasad said.He said in his 21 years in Parliament, he or the other ministers had not seen “shameful” conduct of members who were minister or leaders of their parties.He said the Opposition members knew the norms and the need for conduct. “Harivansh ji was ready for voting. Thirteen times the deputy chairman asked them to go back to seats. How can voting take place when you won’t go to your seats,” Prasad asked.Prasad said if a member was suspended, the member has to accept it and go out of the House. “You will not follow the norms, the rules and propriety and you talk of democracy,” said Prasad.Prasad said Harivansh, who hails from Bihar, was an eminent writer, and that everyone from the eastern state felt bad at the treatment meted out to him. “An eminent Indian who hails from Bihar was humiliated and the Congress party and RJD [Rashtriya Janata Dal] were encouraging it in the most unabashed manner. The people of Bihar will give a response,” Prasad said.Bihar is scheduled to go to the polls later this year.Joshi said the proposal to curtail the session came from the Opposition.CONGRESS/OPPOSITION COMMENT

Hindustan Times

22-09-2020

India