Angry over the court summons to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in National Herald case, Congress stalled Rajya Sabha for the fourth day on Friday by raising slogans and alleging “vendetta politics”.
The House was adjourned repeatedly because of the ruckus created by the Congress members soon after the House met for the day and Chairman Hamid Ansari mentioned the 14th anniversary of dastardly terror attack on Parliament House.
Several Congress members trooped into the Well of the House shouting anti-government slogans like “ Modi teri tanashahi nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (Dictatorship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be tolerated)” and “ Hitlershahi nahi chalegi (Hitler-like attitude will not be tolerated).
Because of the protest, Congress member Bhaskar Rapolu even refused to lay the Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy. Rapolu, who was in the Well, refused to go back to his seat to do so.
“Go and present your report. That is your duty. Why don’t you do that,” Deputy Chairman P J Kurien told Rapolu who did not relent.
He called Rapolu after the first member listed to present the report, Prarimohan Mohapatra of BJD, was not present.
Amid the din, a resolution referring The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 to a Select Committee of the House was passed.
As Congress members booed, Kurien even got Sukhendu Shekar Roy (TMC), Tapan Kumar Sen and K K Ragesh (of CPI-M) to lay their special mention notices on incidents of intolerance, workers plight in tea gardens and special assistance to Kerala rubber farmers respectively laid on the table.
Kurien asked members not to howl, saying howling is not human nature.
Minister of State for Parliamentry Affairs Mukthar Abbas Naqvi said, “we are hearing voices (in the House) like those in a zoo.” He said it was unparliamentary.
“We are very concerned about Congress members. We also feel pity on them. Let Leader of Opposition get some medicine for his party members so that their throat is clear. Today one week has passed. Earlier they used to shout slogans.
“Now they are only saying HO HO. We are very much concerned about their throat condition. Mr LOP give them some medicine so that their throat is fine,” Naqvi said sarcastically.
