Parliament could not function for the second consecutive day on Friday with both the Houses adjourned for the day on the demonetisation issue even as the Government “hoped” that the Opposition would be on board with the ruling side by Monday ‘to wage the battle’ against the black money.
The unfinished debate on demonetisation was derailed in the Rajya Sabha as BJP demanded an apology from senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for comparing deaths due to demonetisation with those killed in terrorist attacks and the Congress countering it by seeking an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for causing hardship to common people following demonetisation.
“BJP should apologise (for demonetisation) to the entire nation, not me. The way they have pushed back the country, they must apologise to the 125 crore people of this country,” Azad said outside Parliament.
The discussion on the black money could not take off in the lok Sabha as well for the second day as a relentless Opposition demanded that they will be allowed to move an adjournment motion on the demonetisation issue which Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed forthwith. The house was adjourned for the day after an hour’s adjournment following the question hour.
As against the continuing stalemate in both the houses of Parliament, Union Parliamentary affairs Minister Ananth Kumar “hoped” that the Opposition would see “the common cause” of fighting the black money and come on board next week.
Kumar described the demand for setting up a Joint-Parliamentary Committee probe as “strange” saying this cannot be justified by even Opposition parties, particularly the Congress which has been in the Governance for the last 50 years, he said
In the Rajya Sabha, while Congress members repeatedly stormed into the well of the House raising slogans against the Prime Minister, the treasury benches countered by raising a din from the aisles. The slanging match forced repeated adjournments. AIADMK members also came into the well raising slogans over Cauvery water issue.
Amid the din, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged that Azad’s statement had given a message to the country that Congress was sympathetic to terrorism and asked why was it so agitated when the demonetisation drive was only to hurt black money hoarders. Incidentally, Azad’s remarks on Thursday were expunged from records the same day.
The pre-and post-lunch session witnessed pandemonium with the BJP members refusing to listen to the Chair to refrain from shouting slogans and the Congress members not willing to return to move from the well.
Ruckus started in the House soon after the House met for the day and the AIADMK members coming into the well to raise their demand. Even as Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien persuaded them to go back to their seats as he will allow their leader to speak, BJP members came into the aisle demanding an apology from Azad who was present.
Congress retaliated and demanded an apology from the Prime Minister leading to a fresh bout of sharp exchanges between the ruling and treasury benches. Both the sides did not pay heed to the Chair to maintain order leading to four adjournments in the pre lunch session. The House was finally adjourned for the day shortly after it reassembled at 2.30 pm.
In the lok Sabha, while the Speaker rejected several notices moved by Opposition leaders for an adjournment motion on the issue, the Government said it was ready for a debate under a rule which does not entail voting and where no formal motion can be moved.
As soon as the House met for the day, leader of Congress in the lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the issue of scrapping of `1,000 and `500 denomination notes be discussed through an adjournment motion and not the rule being proposed by the Government.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the Government was willing to discuss the issue and there was no need to press for an adjournment motion.
As the din continued, the House was adjourned for nearly one hour till noon, minutes after it assembled and thereafter for the day as the logjam continued.