Monsoon Session of Parliament: Cenetre tries to reach out, Opposition sticks to stand

By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: With barely a week left in the monsoon session of Parliament, there was no respite from the ruckus in both Houses. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla threated action against members who had thrown torn placards at the Chair and the treasury benche. Rajya Sabha saw repeated adjournments, with Opposition MPs demanding discussion on the Pegasus controversy. 

There was no breakthrough in the stand-off between the government and the Opposition, even though Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi and Leader of the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal tried to talk to the Opposition. 

The Lok Sabha continued to take up the Question Hour and legislative business amid a constant din in the House. Opposition MPs held out placards in the well of the House and raised slogans. The House still passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 amid the ruckus in the House. 

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (top) speaks in Parliament on Thursday

Lok Sabha Speaker Birla, in reference to the incident on Wednesday when nine Congress MPs hurled torn placards at the Chair, said he was pained by the behaviour of these MPs and described this as against Constitutional norms and conventions. He called upon the MPs to offer suggestions to enhance the prestige of the Chair, while reminding them that they  aren’t individuals but institutions. The treasury benches demanded apology from the Opposition, with minister Joshi saying that “this isn’t the way they can behave”.

Leader of Congress in the House, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary countered by saying that the Opposition parties weren’t able to raise issues in the House. Joshi said the government is ready for debate on any matter. Despite that, there were many adjournments.

In Rajya Sabha, the Chair pushed through the Question Hour, as Opposition MPs kept demanding discussion on Pegasus and shouting ‘khela hobe’ (game on). Goyal and Joshi met these leaders, who reiterated their demand for discussion on Pegasus. The government pushed through the Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill without any discussion. The bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman amidst the din and it was passed before the House was adjourned.

Rs 1,289 crore on new Parl and Vista this fiscal ​The government has so far spent Rs 238 crore for new Parliament building and Rs 63 crore for redevelopment of Central Vista Avenue. Estimated cost for these two projects for 2021-22 is Rs 1,289 crore. “New Parliament Building at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore is targeted to be completed by October, 2022,” ministry of urban affairs said in Parliament.