The first week of the Monsoon Session of Parliament is a washout as the face-off between the government and the Opposition over the IPL and Vyapam scams continued for the fourth day on Friday, resulting in a quick adjournment of proceedings in both the Houses.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned proceedings for the day within four minutes as Opposition members trooped to the Well.
The Rajya Sabha too was adjourned for the day after continued ruckus. When the Upper House met, the Chair opted for a shorter amendment till noon when it was action replay again. The House was then adjourned till 2.30 p.m. when private members' business was scheduled.
Both the Houses will now meet again on Monday.
Outside the two chambers but within Parliament House, BJP members staged a dharna to draw attention to corruption charges against Congress Chief Ministers in a tit-for-tat war of words.
In fact, in the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman P. J. Kurien for the second time this week asked from the Chair why the government benches were disrupting proceedings. Earlier this week, he had observed that the Treasury benches were behaving like the Opposition in a behaviour that brought back memories of the last few sessions of Parliament during UPA-II when Congress MPs from erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh disrupted proceedings over creation of Telangana.
2.39 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day till Monday after continued ruckus.
2.36 pm: Jaitley moved motion for adoption of instruments negotiations bill which was adopted.
2.34 pm: Congress continued sloganeering and trooped into the well of the house.
2.32 pm: TMC, Left, SP, JDU, AIADMK, DMK, BSP abstained from voting.
12: 50 pm: Nitin Gadkari says he wants an apology from Rahul Gandhi for attacking Sushma Swaraj. "If no apology, we may consider a criminal defamation case," he says.
12:17 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2.30 pm following persistent ruckus.
11:42 am: "Didn't the UPA face similar problem earlier when Parliament was adjourned", Mr. Yadav asked.
11.40 am: The BJP should speak to the Opposition and find solutions, says Sharad Yadav.
11:35 am: Mr. Yadav terms the ruling party's dharna as strange. "Who are they asking for help, god?, The ruling party is almighty", Mr. Yadav said.
11:30 am: Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav speaks outside Parliament over the BJP's 'dharna'. Says strange things are happening.
11: 20 am: BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad speaks outside Parliament. Video: Sandeep Saxena
11:16 am: The Upper House witnessed heated exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches over Lalit Modi, Vyapam and other issues.
11.12 am: The Rajya Sabha which continued to witness ruckus adjourned till 12 noon.
11.10 am: Minutes after it assembled, Ms. Mahajan adjourned the Lok Sabha till Monday following opposition uproar over Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues.
11. 10 am: Lok Sabha adjourned till Monday following opposition uproar over Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues
Earlier, the Bhartiya Janata Party on Friday continued its counter offensive against the Congress by raking up graft charges against Congress Chief Ministers in Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Kerala and Assam, and said the Congress had become “synonymous with corruption.’’
10: 10 am: The party MPs went on a protest near the Gandhi statue at Parliament House in the morning.
Earlier, party spokesman M.J. Akbar accused the Congress of indulging in “smear politics’’ and not looking at corruption in its backyard.
Taking a dig at the Congress’s election slogan, party’s State in-charge Shrikant Sharma said the Congress was hand in glove with the mafia and looters and alleged that it had the blessing of the top leadership.
Highlights of the first three days of the Monsoon Session
| 1 | An unrelenting opposition continued to stall business in the two Houses on the third day of the monsoon session on Thursday. |
| 2 | On Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it a point to greet every Opposition leader, including former PM Manmohan Singh, BSP chief Mayawati and Janata Dal (U)'s Sharad Yadav with folded hands.. But this brief show of bonhomie dissolved post lunch. |
| 3 | Despite the BJP’s counter-attack on the Congress, the Opposition stuck to its guns on Thursday for action in the Vyapam scam and the Lalit Modi saga, forcing the adjournment of the Lok Sabha till Friday. |
| 4 | The BJP on Thursday launched a counter offensive against the Congress by raking up graft charges against Congress CMs in Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Kerala and Assam, and said the Congress had become “synonymous with corruption.’’ |
| 5 | Congress members were also sporting black badges on their arms to register their protests and continued wearing them and carrying placards despite Speaker's warning against doing so. |
| 6 | The placards, carried by Congress members, read 'Bade Modi meherban, to chhote Modi pehelwan' (a Hindi idiom meaning that a small person is strong if supported by a powerful person) and 'PM chuppi todo' (PM, break your silence), Modi ji 56 inch dikhao, Sushma, Raje ko turant hatao (Show your 56 inch chest by removing Swaraj and Raje). |
| 7 | Quoting various rules, the Speaker told the agitating members that they must give proper notice in advance if they want to raise any issue on the floor of the House. |
| 8 | While Mr. Modi was not present in the House, Ms. Swaraj was sitting in the front row along with the Home Minister and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. |
| 9 | I hope that promises made by some political parties during the last session to help good decisions in this session will be kept, Mr. Modi said ahead of the session. |
| 10 | Mr. Modi stepped in to face an adamant Congress that had said it would not permit Parliament to function unless BJP leaders facing allegations from impropriety to corruption, quit. |
