Oppn uproar over Hegde remark mars proceedings in RS
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday witnessed two adjournments in the pre-lunch session as the Opposition protested over the controversial remarks by minister Anantkumar Hegde, while a BJP member pressed for a privilege notice against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for “twisting” Arun Jaitley’s name.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said any comment from outside the House on an agreement between the ruling side and the Opposition was not good.
After a prolonged impasse, the Rajya Sabha passed two important bills on Wednesday after the government and Opposition reached an understanding on PM’s Narendra Modi remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh. “A solemn agreement between the Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition was reached. Anybody outside (the House) commenting on the agreement is not good for the House or the system,” Naidu said.
The House was adjourned briefly in the pre-noon session as the Congress continued protests over Hegde’s remark on secularism and changing the Constitution. The House was adjourned again little after noon till 2pm.
NEW DELHI:
When it met at 12pm, Naidu wanted to take up Question Hour, but opposition members were again on their feet. Naidu berated them, saying it was important that the questions were taken up and the opposition members were violating rules.
Congress member BK Hariprasad responded that the members were only violating rules while a minister was violating the Constitution. An angry Naidu said since Hariprasad had himself admitted to violating rules, he would have to think what action can be taken against him.
As Hariprasad demanded that the minister be sacked, Naidu said it was a political demand. Naidu’s attempts to continue the Question Hour did not deter the Congress members from protesting. Treasury bench members watched as Union minister Vijay Goel said the House to which Hegde belonged was functioning while Rajya Sabha was finding it difficult to transact business.