The Enforcement Directorate probe against the top Congress leaders and sealing of the Congress-owned National Herald office have led to a fresh standoff in Parliament just as normalcy seemed to return to the Monsoon Session following the smooth price rise debate in both Houses during the last couple of days.
The issue reverberated in both Houses even as outside Parliament Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted the Congress cannot be intimidated by such tactics. On its part, the ED kept the heat on the Congress and interrogated its Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and carried out fresh searches at the Herald House.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a verbal duel between Kharge and Leader of House Piyush Goyal after the former expressed his outrage over getting a summon by the ED to appear at 12.30 pm when Parliament was in Session.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and several other party leaders trooped into the Well of the House in protest against the ED’s action.
Kharge alleged that the Government is misusing the investigating agencies to target the Opposition and demoralise, destroy and intimidate them. “But we will not be afraid or intimidated and will fight,” he said. He said the residences of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi have been gheraoed by police.
In his retort, Goyal said Congress leaders should face the law and not run away from it. He insisted that the Government did not interfere in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies and accused the Congress of interfering in their work when it was in power.
The Lok Sabha too witnessed ruckus with the word go with Congress leaders showing placards, Congress leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was the first to display the placards and other members then followed suit.
The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day at 2 pm after repeat adjournment amid sloganeering by Congress members against the alleged misuse of the ED by the Government.
But the real action took place in the Rajya Sabha. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the proceedings for nearly an hour after Kharge charged that autonomous bodies were being misused by the Government to settle political scores. The treasury Benches vehemently denied it leading to heated exchanges between MPs of the two sides.
The Question Hour took place amid continuous sloganeering by the Opposition members despite repeated appeals by V Vijayasai Reddy, who was in the Chair.
“This House is functioning and I am the leader of the Opposition parties. But right now, I have received a summons from the ED to appear before it when a Parliament session is on. Right now, when Parliament is functioning, is it fair on the part of the ED to summon me?” Kharge asked amid shouts of “shame, shame” from the Opposition Benches.
Asserting that he is a law-abiding citizen and has to leave for the ED office at 12.30 pm, Kharge said, “I do not want to avoid the law and I want to follow the law.”
“If we carry on like this, will our democracy remain alive? Will we function as per our Constitution? This is being purposely done to demoralise us, destroy us and intimidate us. But we will not be afraid or intimidated and will fight,” the senior Congress leader said, demanding that there be a discussion on the issue in the House.
Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh also alleged that “Modishahi” is reaching a new low as Kharge was summoned by the ED in the middle of a Parliament session.
“Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, was summoned by the ED when Parliament was in Session. He, of course, left around 12:20 pm and presented himself. This is Modishahi reaching new lows,” the former Union Minister said on Twitter.
Refuting the Opposition charge of misusing of agencies, Goyal said the Government does not interfere in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies. “They may have been interfering in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies when they were in power,” he said.
“If anyone has done any wrong, the law will take its course. Whatever the Leader of Opposition (LOP) said is totally baseless. The matter has gone to the Supreme Court. The Congress leaders are on bail and the Congress leaders and the LOP should follow the law instead of running away,” Goyal said.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned by Speaker Om Birla in the morning till 11.30 and then till 2 pm after Opposition members displayed placards and shouted slogans “tanashahi naheen chalegi”. Congress and other Opposition members protested against the ED action, GST on essential items and price rise.
Congress members trooped into the Well of the House while those from the DMK, NCP and CPI-M, among others, protested by standing at their seats.
Earlier, Birla asked the Congress members, who were protesting in the Well, to go back to their seats. The Speaker also warned that he would have to take action if they continued to stand in the Well.
The lines ‘Save Constitution, Save Democracy’ and ‘GST hurting common people’ were written on the placards. Besides, the members also protested against price rise.
While the protests were continuing, DMK member S R Parthiban (DMK Salem) asked a supplementary question and at that time, Birla and DMK leader T R Baalu were seen smiling at each other since the Southern party was also protesting.
The House resumed action at 2 pm when papers were laid on the table and two resolutions adopted amid slogan shouting and protest by Congress members. Amidst the din, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary moved two statutory resolutions pertaining to change in taxation made on May 21 and June 30
These resolutions, which seek to amend the eighth schedule to the Finance Act 2002, were passed by voice vote in the lower House. As the sloganeering continued, Kirit Solanki, who was in the Chair, requested the protesting members to go back to their seats and allow the House to function after which he adjourned the proceedings for the day.