Both the houses of Parliament witnessed pandemonium on Tuesday amidst stand-off between the Government and the Congress over the Rafale fighter jet deal issue. For their part, while Tamil Nadu parties AIADMK and DMK raised slogans over the Cauvery dam issue, the TDP demanded special status for Andhra.
The Government said it was ready for a discussion on the Rafale issue and charged the Congress with running away from the debate after the Supreme Court verdict last week. Congress said in the Lok Sabha it was ready for discussion, but demanded formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale deal. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said constitution of JPC was not under her purview.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the privilege motion moved by the Congress should be taken up alleging the Government misled the Supreme Court and Parliament on the Rafale issue. He also said the Government has no right to continue and “should go.” Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, however, said that the Chair should be allowed to take a view.
Countering Azad, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said the Government was ready to discuss all issues, including Rafale. He demanded that the Congress apologise in the wake of the apex court's refusal to order an SIT probe in Rafale deal and Sajjan Kumar's conviction by the Delhi High Court in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
Appeals by the Lok Sabha Speaker to allow the House to function went unheeded as Congress members displayed placards and trooped into the Well demanding JPC probe. In the din, the National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was introduced in the House. The Bill seeks to declare the various NIDs as institutions of national importance.
In the Rajya Sabha too, Naidu urged the members to allow the House to function as various notices on urgent matters, ranging from cyclones affecting lives in some states to price rise to agriculture crisis, have been admitted for discussion.
His appeal was of no avail as soon after the papers were laid by the Ministers when the proceedings for the day commenced, AIADMK and DMK came into the well carrying placards and shouting slogans on the Cauvery issue. Some members from Andhra Pradesh were also seen displaying placards demanding special status for the State. Naidu initially adjourned the House till 2 PM at 11.10 am and as the din continued when the proceedings began again, he adjourned the House for the day.
In the lower house, upset with the disruption, Mahajan said the members were well aware that this was an important session as everyone will face elections after this. She said the Government was ready for discussion, but the ruckus continued. Proceedings barely lasted for five minutes and it was initially adjourned till noon.
As the ruckus continued, only one query related to production of garlic was taken up during the Question Hour.
The BJP members raised slogans demanding an apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Supreme Court verdict has made things clear, indicating that there was no need for a JPC on the controversial issue.
Unhappy with the response, Congress members again started raising slogans, following which the House was adjourned for the day.
When the Upper House resumed in the afternoon, Naidu proposed to discuss a calling attention on the situation arising due to devastation caused by cyclones Gaja and Titli in some States and the action taken by the Government in this regard.
However, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma raised a point of order claiming that Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs had referred to Rahul Gandhi and it is against the rule to demand his apology because he is member of other House. Soon after, the ruling party member again started raising slogans and demanded apology from Gandhi while some of the AIADMK and DMK members trooped into the well to protest over Cauvery issue. The Chair adjourned the House for the day.