Oppn MPs climb table in RS as House witness adjournments

Oppn MPs climb table in RS as House witness adjournments
Source: IANS

New Delhi: A few MPs from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) climbed the reporters' table in front of the Chair during a discussion on agriculture issues on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha.

The opposition MPs raised slogans and said that the relevant notices have not been taken care of. They accused the government of 'hiding' and avoiding discussing the farmers' agitation.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had said, "My notice on July 23 was for calling attention motion on the ongoing farmers' protest, but it was turned into a short duration discussion without taking a sense of the House."

To this, parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said it can be taken now.

Subsequently, the Chair allowed the discussion, but the opposition resorted to sloganeering.

Due to the pandemonium, the House was adjourned till 2.32 p.m., then till 3.03 p.m. and again till 4 p.m. and finally for the day.

The deputy chairman invited all the floor leaders for the meeting.

Earlier, the House was adjourned till 12 then 2 p.m., the opposition MPs had tied black bands and some wore black shirts. The women MPs too came in black sarees as a mark of protest against the government in the House.

The Rajya Sabha Bulletin had listed discussion on the agriculture issues on Tuesday in which the names of Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and Pratap Singh Bajwa along other MPs were mentioned.

The bulletin stated, "To raise a discussion on the agricultural problems and solutions, as a short duration discussion."

But Jairam Ramesh objected to this and said, "In a too clever-by-half move Modi Govt has scheduled a discussion on 'The agricultural problems and solutions' and added my name to it. The discussion has NOTHING to do with my notice given on July 23rd on the ongoing farmers' agitation."

Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool said, "Dirty tricks of Modi-Shah. Glad you called them out. Opposition speaking in one voice: we want a discussion on internal security (Pegasus). Failed again in trying to divide and rule."