Congress isolated? Opp parties say enough disruption, House must run

Here’s the latest from Parliament:

3:22 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid continued Opposition protests over Lalitgate and Vyapam issue.

2:38 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after uproar over Lalit Modi, Vyapam and some other issues.

12.45 pm: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi defended his party’s decision to disrupt the House saying he has raised a basic question about the scams involving several ministers, hitting out at Sushma Swaraj for her speech in Lok Sabha.

“Sushma gave a very nice speech in Lok Sabha. If she is so caring and concerned about Lalit Modi why did she do it secretly? why not tell her ministry and the people of India? Sushma Swaraj ji ye bta dein kitna transaction hua hai, House chal jayega,” Rahul said.

Meanwhile, the Congress appears to be in a bit of a situation with several Opposition parties pulling out of their protests and backing SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“We want the House to function, won’t support Congress protest. Democracy is not run on ones whims and fancies,” the senior parliamentarian is quoted as saying.

News agency ANI reports that parties including the RJD, NCP, JDU and TMC have decided that the House needs to run.

Lok Sabha has now been adjourned till 2 pm.

12.30 pm: Speaker Mahajan continued with the proceedings allowing members to take up matters of of public importance, unwilling to give in to the protests by Congress MPs and adjourn the House again.

Two Gandhis want to take revenge on the nation for their defeat by blocking development works: Harsimrat Kaur in Parl logjam @IndianExpress

— Liz Mathew (@MathewLiz) August 10, 2015

12.20 pm: News agency ANI now reports that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has conveyed to Speaker Mahajan that his party will not support the protests by Congress MPs as he wants the House to function.

Mulayam tries for a middle path to end stalemate.With cracks appearing in Oppn, Cong to decide on debate aftr internal talks @IndianExpress

— Liz Mathew (@MathewLiz) August 10, 2015

12.00 pm: Lok Sabha was further adjourned till 12.30 pm, while Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm following protests by the Congress party.

Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourns #RajyaSabha till 2 PM after Cong members shout dadagiri nahi chalegi @IndianExpress

— abantika ghosh (@abantika_ghosh) August 10, 2015

11.45 am: Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had a meeting with MPs from JD(U), SP, RJD and TMC to discuss the continuous disruptions in the House.

This, after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav asked the Speaker to convene a meeting where both sides can work out a compromise.

The Congress party, however, has reportedly refused to attend the meeting.

11.25 am: Senior MP and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav urged Speaker Mahajan to bring order to the House and find a way out of the continuing logjam.

“Why don’t members from both sides sit with you for a discussion and solve the impasse?” Yadav said, to which Speaker Mahajan said she was ready to do so if both sides agreed.

“I will adjourn the House right now and we can have a discussion in my chambers. But is Kharge ready? I’m also saying there will be a discussion but not without order in the House, no?” Mahajan said.

She then adjourned the House till 12 pm.

11.20 am: The treasury benches of Lok Sabha continued with the Question Hour with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan refusing to adjourn the House despite continuous protests by the Opposition.

MoS Railways Manoj Sinha answered questions on the revenue of the railways.

Meanwhile in Rajya Sabha

After aggressive exchanges, #RajyaSabha adjourned till 12 noon @arunjaitley accuses cong of “selective blocking” of govt @IndianExpress

— abantika ghosh (@abantika_ghosh) August 10, 2015

In #RajyaSabha LoP Azad denies meeting on Parliament deadlock, says parl affairs minister called about suspended MPs @IndianExpress

— abantika ghosh (@abantika_ghosh) August 10, 2015

11.10 am: Speaker Mahajan said she will take up the a discussion on the controversy after the Question Hour and urged MPs to follow the rules.

“Please follow the rules, do not bring placards to the Well… I will allow you to have a discussion,” she told Opposition MPs who were heard chanting slogans against the Modi government.

11.05 am: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge informed the Speaker about the adjournment motion he moved for a discussion on Lalit Modi controversy and also questioned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s speech in the House where she had defended her actions saying she made no official request to the UK government.

“She tried to wash her hands off the incident, this is not right,” Kharge said, referring to Swaraj’s speech.

Mahajan, however, responded to Kharge saying: Please take your seat, I’m not accepting your adjournment motion.”

11.00 am: Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced the visit of two Bhutan Parliament members who are visiting the country. The two law makers, who were present in the House, will also visit Agra during their stay.

Mahajan also asked the House to maintain a minute of silence for those who lost their lives in the Jharkhand stampede.

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On Sunday, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the Congress to allow Parliament to function for the remaining four days saying the government was willing to consider any meaningful suggestion to break the deadlock, but it failed to break the ice.

“Eight more important bills are there, four bills were already passed in Lok Sabha. I hope Congress understands its responsibility. Let us see what is going to happen. I want Monday to be Monday and I don’t want Monday to be a Sunday,” Naidu told reporters in Chennai.

“I have told them (Congress party) that please come to the House. Let there be a discussion. Even the suspension of Congress MPs could be revoked. But there was no response. Even now if there is a meaningful suggestion, the government is willing to consider it,” Naidu said.

The opposition party, however, told the government that it was not amused by the “politics of abuse” resorted to by BJP leaders and Union Ministers against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

“Unfortunately, BJP leadership’s thought process is fast turning to the level of personal abuse as reflected from statements of Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani and Santosh Gangwar.

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“We, in Congress, reject in toto and want to humbly tell the Modi government that politics of abuse will never replace the politics of consensus and construction in India,” Congress’ chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said.

The BJP, too, sharpened its attack on the Congress saying it had played the role of “obstructionist and destructive” opposition during the session as it was “politically bankrupt”.

The Congress has been agitating for the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping controversial former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam, leading to disruption of proceedings in Parliament.

(With inputs from PTI)