Proceedings were affected for the second-consecutive day on Thursday in Rajya Sabha which faced several adjournments over Opposition members’ uproar after the Chair disallowed adjournment notices on several issues including Indo-China border face-off, Government’s alleged misuse of probe agencies and interference in appointments in higher judiciary. The Opposition has been demanding a discussion on these issues. Lok Sabha functioning was, however, normal with only a minor face-off between the Congress and the Government on different issues.
After the Congress led Opposition parties’ strategy meeting, members from the entire Opposition Benches have been raising issues jointly. Soon after laying of papers in the Rajya Sabha, Opposition members sought clarifications on why their adjournment notices were not taken up and demanded discussions on various issues. This led to uproar following which Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes first and then again for another 15 minutes when the House met.
While opposition members created uproar over not being allowed discussion on issues raised by them, BJP members were also on their feet raising the issue of the Bihar hooch tragedy. As the Deputy Chairman urged members to allow the Zero Hour to function, members raised strong objections leading to disruption of the proceedings.
Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attacked the Centre over the recent Arunachal border face-off in the House and asked when will it show "red eyes" to China. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, he said while China is trying to "destroy" India, the Modi government is letting the imports from the neighbouring country rise.
Citing a media report, Chowdhury also said that the recent cyber attack on some of the servers of AIIMS in Delhi had been carried out from China, and demanded that the Centre come out with a white paper in Lok Sabha on these issues. While there is a decline in trade between India and the US, it is always "profitable" for China when it comes to India's trade with the neighbouring country, the Congress member charged, saying such a trend makes him wonder what is the “intention” of the Modi government.
“When the Chinese government is an aggressor and trying to destroy India, what is the need of extending such help to China? When will you show the red eyes (to China),” Chowdhury asked the treasury benches.
The Congress accused the central government of evading a debate on India-China border face-off and asked why the Modi government has been running away from the issue.
Earlier, outside the house, AICC head of media and publicity department Pawan Khera wondered why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on China, and that whenever he does speak on it, he gives the country a clean chit.
Khera alleged that when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was very keen on introducing Mandarin in its government schools, a proposal that was opposed by the Congress. He also made the allegation that the BJP used a Chinese company in elections which, the central government had said, was a threat to Indian sovereignty.
A company which was blacklisted by World Bank, USA, and Europe was given the contract to install smart metres in the border district of Jammu and Kashmir, he alleged.