Both the Houses of Parliament were again adjourned for the day on Thursday without transacting any business as the Government matched Opposition’s offensive on demonetisation with the AgustaWestland scam even as the two sides blamed each other for derailing the Winter Session.
On the penultimate day before the session ends, the deadlock continued in lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha over the manner in which a debate should be held on demonetisation. Opposition in the lok Sabha said it was ready for a debate under provisions entailing no rules. They had earlier demanded debate under voting provisions.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar raised the tempers in the Opposition benches by charging them with attempting to fail the note ban move. The Minister said Congress was trying to “manage currency” (note jugaad) post-demonetisation when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a vigorous campaign against black money.
The Rajya Sabha saw sharp exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition members as they tried to outshout each other over different issues, throwing the House into pandemonium.
The Congress said demonetisation along with rouge changes in weather had hit the farmers and demanded farm loan waiver to give relief to them.
On the other hand, BJP members shouted slogans while displaying copies of a news report which claimed that some people in the erstwhile UPA regime had allegedly received money in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. They wanted to know who was behind the chopper scam.
leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the ruling side was not allowing Parliament to function, which was “unprecedented”.
Azad, who had given a notice to raise the issue of distress among farmers after demonetisation, was called by the Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien to speak but he could hardly make his submission as ruling party members created uproar.
At this point, Congress members trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans demanding waiver of farm loans.
After first adjournment when house resumed proceedings again, Opposition members at a stage stormed into the well of the House, prompting the Deputy Chairman to adjourn it till Friday.
In the lok Sabha too, the government and the Opposition shouted at each other , with BJP brining in the name of Rahul and family under attack in the AgustaWestland case.
TMC’s Sudip Bandhopadhyay and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition wanted a debate on demonetisation even without voting or under any rule but there were counter attacks from the BJP side, leading to continued heated exchanges in the House.
Ananth Kumar launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, accusing it of scuttling debate from the day the session began on November 16. Kumar referred to the VVIP chopper scam issue, saying the “master middleman” Christian Michel has named “the first family of the UPA” and, therefore, Congress is running away from debate. He said there should also be a discussion on the VVIP chopper scam.
This led to Congress members again storming the Well raising slogans denouncing the Modi Government.At this stage, TRS member AP Jeethendar Reddy’s remarks targeting a section of the Opposition for not allowing debate on demonetisation triggered a fresh uproar with Congress and TMC members protesting his statements.
At this point, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the house for the day till Friday at 1220 hours after having adjourned it first in the morning shortly after the house assembled.