The Opposition’s insistence on the dismissal of Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti for her controversial remarks during a rally in Delhi, cast its shadow over the functioning of Parliament for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, with the Government not ready to succumb to pressure.
Thursday being the Prime Minister’s day in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour, Narendra Modi will be present in the House. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to speak on this issue.Ruling out the Minister’s dismissal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the Opposition not to disrupt Parliament, saying they can talk out and walk out but “let there be no break out.”
Noisy protests by the Opposition forced a washout of Rajya Sabha’s proceedings for the entire day while the lok Sabha continued after slogan shouting and a brief walkout. Opposition leaders indicated that on Thursday they would harden their stand further and would not allow the lok Sabha to function.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned at least five times before it was adjourned for the day. Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had to leave the House without making their statements. Rajnath laid the statement on the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh after making a futile attempt to read it out.
Members from the Congress, SP and JD(U) trooped into the Well while those from CPI(M), CPI and Trinamool Congress were on their feet rejecting the Government’s argument that the matter should be treated as closed since the Minister has already expressed regret.
Deputy leader of Congress Anand Sharma said the remarks made by the Minister were “not only a cognizable but also a compoundable offence” under Section 153(A) of the IPC and demanded that the Prime Minister come to the House and announce that the Minister has been sacked. later, Sharma told The Pioneer that the lok Sabha too will see a more coordinated and cohesive attack on Thursday.
Venkaiah Naidu rejected the Opposition’s demand citing controversial remarks made in the past by leaders from other parties as well. “One of the members, a former Minister, had made a serious remark against former Prime Minister Vajpayee. He did not apologise, but then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had tendered an apology on his behalf,” Naidu said, and recalled that someone had also called SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav a “terrorist”.
The Congress countered that they had to sack or remove UPA Ministers, including Natwar Singh, Shashi Tharoor, Mohammad Taslimuddin and Shibu Soren, under pressure from Opposition.Sitaram Yechury noted in the Rajya Sabha that what the Minister said was “not an apology” and she has no right to remain a Minister.
Targeting Modi over his absence from both Houses, the Congress termed as a ‘drama’ his bowing before entering Parliament and accused him of ‘showing scant respect’ for the institution and not having the courage to face questions. “We urge the Prime Minister to be brave, to summon up courage to face his fellow members in both Houses of Parliament. We urge the Prime Minister to learn to respect the tradition, which has strengthened our Democracy over the decades,” party spokesperson Rajeev Gowda said at an AICC briefing.
The demand for the resignation and dismissal of Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti also led to bedlam in the lok Sabha, but the Government refused to give in to the pressure as lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan continued with the proceedings until lunch time.
The Government ruled out the resignation of the Sadhvi for her controversial remarks and accused the Opposition of “authoritarianism”.
Earlier in the day, members from Opposition parties, including Congress,Trinamool Congress and the left staged a walk out after the Government said that the matter should end as she had tendered an apology and the Prime Minister has disapproved her comments.Modi was present in the House after his week-long tours, as sloganeering Opposition members sought his response on the issue.
Soon, Congress members, joined by Trinamool Congress and MPs from other Opposition parties, trooped into the Well demanding a reply from the Prime Minister on the issue.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the Minister should be dismissed as she has admitted her offense. Kharge said he was insisting on his demand for resignation of the Sadhvi from the Council of Ministers for her controversial remarks in front of the Prime Minister as he is himself present in the House.Despite continued protests by members of Congress, TMC, left parties, NCP, Samajwadi Party and AAP in the Well, the Speaker went ahead with the day’s agenda and moved on to Zero Hour after the Question Hour.
Angry over the Government’s response, the Opposition members, including those from the Congress, TMC and left staged a walk out. The House continued with its proceedings until lunch time.