Farmers Movement Archive

Not getting time in Rajya Sabha: Oppn to Naidu

Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has written to the chairman of the House, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, complaining that opposition parties are not being given time to speak, as protests over the Pegasus snooping controversy and farm laws continued to cause a logjam in Parliament.The rare letter -- leaders of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the House of elders aren’t given to complaining of how the House is being run to the chairman -- came even as two senior leaders said the Opposition is exploring more ways to register their protest with Naidu on the situation in the Rajya Sabha. While a section of the Opposition is toying with the idea of a motion against the chairman, others are of the view that PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah should be targeted for the logjam in Parliament.A top government functionary said on condition of anonymity that Naidu will not compromise on the issue of maintaining the decorum of the House. On Friday, as protests erupted in the House over the Pegasus snooping row and the farm laws, Naidu said it has been brought to his notice that “some members were blowing whistles in the house, placing their hands on the shoulders of marshals while proceedings were on and taking placards and standing in front of ministers”.Such actions were a new low, he added. “There are two ways to deal with this. Allow the House to become a bazaar or take action (against those behaving badly),” Naidu said. “I feel sorry to say this from the podium…I never expected my members to go that level.” He also cautioned that no one should “exhaust the patience of the House”.A Congress leader confirmed on condition of anonymity that Kharge “has written to the chairman expressing anguish at the manner in which the Opposition is being treated”.Congress functionaries added that Kharge has mentioned that even during former vice president Hamid Ansari’s tenure as the chairman, the leader of the Opposition enjoyed freedom in speaking in the House, and no one was allowed to disrupt or stop his speeches, but that this is happening now. He has also said that opposition parties are not getting time to raise their issues.The situation in the Rajya Sabha, where the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is still in minority, was discussed among opposition parties in their meeting on Friday morning. According to a leader from a non-Congress opposition party , the general consensus was that the Opposition was being muzzled in the Rajya Sabha.Opposition-led protests have rocked both Houses of Parliament from the beginning of the monsoon session on July 19. The Opposition is demanding a debate on the Pegasus snooping row with either the PM or the HM participating in it. The government has, so far, not agreed to that demand.Senior government managers are expected to meet with opposition parties in an attempt to salvage the remaining 10 days of the current session.Another opposition leader who asked not to be named argued that no “calling attention motion” or short duration discussion was allowed in the previous two sessions and no debate under Rule 267 — or suspension of other business to take up a debate — has been allowed in this session so far.The government functionary cited above pointed out that Naidu has consideration for the Opposition having been an opposition member of the Rajya Sabha.“In the all-party meeting on July 17, Naidu urged the government to sit with opposition leaders to arrive at an agreement on legislative business and other issues. Later in the Business Advisory Committee meeting, he again urged the government to regularly consult with the Opposition on major bills and other issues to be taken up in the House.”According to this person Naidu “was upset over media reports that the Opposition has decided not to allow the House to function during this session”.

Hindustan Times

31-07-2021

India