New Delhi: For the third day in a row this week, both Houses of the parliament were adjourned for the day on Wednesday after opposition protests over issues ranging from the death of 39 Indians in Iraq and special category status for Andhra Pradesh, with the Lok Sabha failing to take up the pending no-confidence motions against the Centre.
According to reports, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned within five minutes while the Lok Sabha was adjourned by the Speaker after an hour, till noon. The House reassembled again only to be adjourned for the day. Both Houses failed to transact any business.
According to the Indian Express, three no-confidence motions by the Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress on the failure of the Narendra Modi government to grant the much-promised special category status to Andhra Pradesh and seeking a special package for the state were to be taken up by the Lok Sabha today.
Ruckus in #RajyaSabha, TDP MPs storm the well of the House over demand of special status to #AndhraPradesh, opposition members say, ‘it is also the duty of the govt to facilitate proceedings of the House.’ Chairman adjourns the House till 11 am, tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/fI0KOvGgsE
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned in five minutes following opposition protests after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced the death of 39 Indians abducted by ISIS in 2014.
Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted a discussion on Swaraj’s statement, which was disallowed by the chairman Venkaiah Naidu who sought a proper notice for the same, leading to slogan shouting by the opposition.
“Is this parliament or something else? I am sorry this is not the way,” he said before adjourning the proceedings for the day.
However, reports said that Congress MP from Punjab, Pratap Singh Bajwa, had given a notice to Rajya Sabha for a short-duration discussion on the death of the 39 Indians in Mosul, most of whom were from Punjab.
Later, the opposition parties met in Azad’s chamber to discuss the ongoing impasse in the parliament, the Indian Express reported.
On Tuesday, Azad had told reporters that the entire opposition wanted to discuss the issues of bank scams, grant of special status to Andhra Pradesh and the Cauvery water sharing, but it “seems that the government is not ready for a debate on these issues.”
YSRCP’s YV Subba Reddy writes to Lok Sabha Secretary General, gives notice to include no-confidence motion in the list of business for tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/by8z0EsMT1
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018
Noisy protests were also seen in the Lok Sabha after YSR Congress and TDP members raised slogans, with parliamentary affairs minister saying that the “BJP government is ready to discuss every issue including no-confidence motion.”