An aggressive Congress on Tuesday questioned the impartiality of the Chair in the lok Sabha, eliciting strong protests from the Treasury Benches with the Government asserting that the Speaker cannot be "threatened".
The protest commenced after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal to make a statement on the cancellation of a food park in Amethi, an issue raised by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi last week in the House.
The slogan-shouting Congress members questioned how the Government was being allowed to speak on the same subject repeatedly whereas their party's requests for adjournment motions were rejected by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
"This is not natural justice. This is not acceptable... It is not a personal aspersion. We believe that the Chair has not been fair," Congress' Deepender Hooda said as he raised a point of order quoting rule 356 of the House procedures. Hooda claimed the Government was allowed to speak on the issue five times.
An agitated Congress leader Mallikarjun Khrge alleged "this is allowed just to defame."
Dismissing Hooda's contention that the food park issue was talked about five times in the House, Mahajan asked the member to first go through the records and then come back. "Are you challenging me," she asked.
"If you don't want me as a Speaker, then I have nothing to say," a visibly upset Mahajan said.
Objecting to Hooda's remarks, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, "You cannot threaten the Speaker... No member should challenge the Speaker".
At this point, the House was briefly adjourned. When the House resumed its proceedings, Hooda expressed "deep regret" over his comments, saying it was never his intention to challenge the Speaker's ruling and he only wanted to question the Government's stand. He also corrected himself saying the Government was allowed to speak on Food Park issue only twice (not five times).
Speaker quoted official records saying the Government was allowed to speak on the issue only twice. Noisy protests led to two brief adjournments with Home Minister Rajnath Singh also explaining that he spoke on the issue since he had assured that he would provide the details after Rahul raised food park in the House.