The Government on Thursday managed to get two Bills passed without debate in a din just like in the case of the Finance Bill a day before even as Opposition members tore papers and threw them around in the lok Sabha and continued their protests in the well of the house on the ninth straight day.
NDA ally TDP also continued to agitate in the house for its demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh.
While Speaker Sumitra Mahajan first adjourned the lok Sabha till noon and then for the day, the Rajya Sabha, which saw a total of three adjournments, could not take up the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bills, due to the disruptions. The proceedings in the two Houses were paralysed as Opposition parties, along with ruling TDP the TRS, stormed the Well and continued their noisy protests over a host of issues, including the banking scam, special status for Andhra and setting up of Cauvery management board.
In the lok Sabha, the Government pushed two legislations, Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill and Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, amid continued din and the House passed them with a voice vote without debate as happened in the case of Finance Bill on Wednesday. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose party members were also in the Well, sought a discussion on the Bills. As the second Bill was being passed without debate, some Opposition members were seen tearing some papers and throwing them around, as the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier, moving the Payment of Gratuity Bill for passage, labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said it is a very important legislation for employees, especially women.
The Bill notifies the period of maternity leave as part of continuous service and proposes to empower the central Government to notify the gratuity ceiling from time to time without amending the law.
The Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill proposes to grant a party the right to seek damages from the other side in case of a breach of business contract and to reduce the discretion of courts in such matters. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar urged the protesting members to allow the House to function and said Parliament was the ‘maha panchayat’ of the country where issues are discussed but disruptions were not allowing important issues to be raised. While members of Congress, TMC, TDP, YSR Congress and TRS were in the Well raising slogans and holding placards, left MPs were seen standing at their seats and raising slogans.
The Rajya Sabha proceedings were also disrupted due to uproarious scenes, with the House being adjourned for the day in the afternoon after witnessing two adjournments earlier, once till 2 PM and then again for an hour.
Minutes after the House reassembled at 3 PM, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien who was in the Chair urged the Opposition to take up the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bills as members from TDP, AIADMK and Congress trooped into the Well raising slogans and carrying placards.
As the slogan-shouting continued, Kurien adjourned the House for the day, saying “I will have to adjourn the House and the responsibility of not discussing or taking up Finance Bill is on the shouting members”.