New Delhi( Kalinga Voice)
The 10-day Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on a bitter note on Wednesday amid a boycott by the opposition over suspension of its eight members for unruly behaviour in the Rajya Sabha.
The session, which was held under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, saw growing distrust between the government and the opposition, which moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.
Another first, perhaps, was the overnight protests on Parliament lawns by eight Rajya Sabha members who were suspended for unruly behaviour when the House had taken up two bills ushering in farm sector reforms, which were passed amid din on Sunday.
In a rare standoff, the eight opposition members refused to withdraw from the Rajya Sabha chambers after the House, on Monday, adopted a motion for their suspension, despite repeated directive by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. The situation led to repeated adjournments, forcing the Chairman to call off the business for the day.
As the Rajya Sabha adjourned the proceedings, members had stayed in the chamber for a couple of hours before moving their protests against the Deputy Chairman to the Parliament lawns.
Earlier, an angry opposition submitted a notice for moving a no-confidence motion against the Deputy Chairman, which was rejected by Chairman Naidu.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh made a peace gesture to the agitating Rajya Sabha members on Tuesday by bringing them tea and snacks, only to be rebuffed. He later announced a day-long fast with a hope to invoke a feeling of “self-purification” in the protesting members, which was seen by the opposition as a political ploy with an eye on the upcoming Bihar elections.
Chairman Naidu slammed the suspended opposition members for justifying their unruly conduct instead of expressing regret.
During the 10-day session, the Lok Sabha passed 25 bills of which five, including three related to labour reforms, were approved amid a boycott by opposition members.
The Rajya Sabha also passed 25 bills, including 15 on the last two days, when the opposition members had boycotted the proceedings.
The Lok Sabha was scheduled to meet for 36 hours, but had sittings late into the night and worked for 60 hours. “The Lok Sabha has recorded a productivity of 167 per cent,” Speaker Om Birla said.
Rajya Sabha recorded a productivity of 100.47% as it recorded the second shortest Monsoon Session of the House and third shortest of all sessions.
After the monsoon session the opposition leaders said, You can suspend us but you cannot silence us.
Indicating that the Opposition pressure on the government over the farm bills was far from over, TMC MP Derek O’Brien on Tuesday said his party along with other regional parties will spread the message of how these bills “cheat” farmers, across the country.
Briefing reporters hours after an overnight protest by eight suspended MPs came to an end, O’Brien said what happened in Rajya Sabha on Sunday was “undemocratic” and “against the idea of India”.
“Our basic rights as MPs were taken away. That was the last straw. What they did was a straight fascist methodology to demolish Indian democracy. They are trying to rewrite the idea of democracy. The bills were not scrutinised, they are anti-people and anti-farmer,” alleged O’Brien, who was among the eight MPs to be suspended.
While the eight MPs held a sit-in protest in Parliament premises, the Opposition parties boycotted both the Houses over the issue.
“I’ve been in politics now with the AITC for about 17 years. I have never seen the very back of Indian democracy being broken like this. Now, let me come to the core issue. This is not about some puppet, Deputy Chairman sitting there or somebody sitting there. It’s a straight fascist, farmer bill’s politics. We have never, ever seen Parliament in this situation.
“We will not sit down and allow the country, its people and the farmers be cheated. Over the next two days, all regional political parties, I use the word regional loosely to mean parties with considerable presence in a region, will reach out to every town, every village to spread this message,” he said.
Speaking on the gesture of the Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh carrying morning tea for the protesting MPs on Tuesday, the TMC leader indicated that it was just optics.
“The farmers want justice not tea. Is this child’s play? First you murder democracy and then you offer tea? If it was a personal visit, then why did he have two cameras with him?” asked O’Brien.
He also said that the Opposition parties are set to meet on Wednesday at 11 am to strategise their next course of action in Parliament.
Replying to a question on the numbers that the government had in Rajya Sabha to pass the bills, O’Brien questioned the BJP why it needed to field five union ministers to defend what happened in Parliament on Sunday.
“Five union ministers used the government machinery to defend the murder of democracy,” he said.
The TMC MP also pointed out that while half a dozen bills were passed in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, four of the eight MPs had resolutions on motions against them.
Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House sine die after the passage of the Major Port Authorities Bill.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present when the House was adjourned.
