Opposition sticks to demand for discussion on price rise, disrupts Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha on Monday could function only for 127 minutes amid protests by the Opposition for not being allowed to discuss the price rise issue. Amid sloganeering, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned thrice – first time by Vice-Chairman Harivansh, and then twice by Dr Sasmit Patra who was in the Chair.

The debate on the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022, was continually interrupted in the Upper House.

When NCP MP Dr Fauzia Khan, who was calling the attention of the Health Minister to the rising cases of post-Covid complications, an issue that was slotted for debate, rose to speak, she said the price rise should be discussed first. “All the notices (Rule 267) are on the price rise issue. Since the Chairman has not admitted this, we will not be discussing it,’’ said Harivansh.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress) said they had been demanding a debate on the price rise for six days. “This is why we have given notices under Rule 267. This is a big issue for the public. Why the government doesn’t want to discuss this?’’ he said.

Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress said since 2017, the government has not admitted notices under Rule 267 even once.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said that the disruptions by the Opposition were disappointing. “There are many important steps that the government has taken as a result of which there is less price rise in the country than in other nations. The government wants a discussion, it is the Opposition that is running away from it,’’ Goyal said.

On continuous disruptions in the House and notices under Rule 267, Union minister Bhupender Yadav said: “The matter of Rule 267 has been raised – there has been commotion around this since morning. Now, point of order is being raised under Rule 259. You should accept that under Rule 258, the Chairman’s ruling is final. If members create disorder in the House – then it should be published in the bulletin that they did not obey the ruling of the House. Under Hamid Ansari, this used to be done, so that the country knows that those who are demanding point of order are the ones who don’t follow it. This should be revived.”

During the debate on the Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill, which is aimed at freezing finances and assets that are used for financing the WMD, BJP member Ajay Pratap Singh said that victims of terror attacks in India and elsewhere have just one crime – that “they belong to a different belief system”. Singh also said that during a national crisis under the Congress rule, then opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to rise above politics and support the government on national security. “Vajpayeeji did not think of political gains on matters of national security,’’ said Singh.

Objecting to Singh, AAP’s Raghav Chadha raised a point of order under Rule 110, on the scope of debate, pointing out that Singh had not been discussing the merits of the Bill at all.

Many BJP members hit out at the Opposition for not letting the debate to happen. “I think, the members of the Opposition must understand the significance of this legislation. This is a very important legislation to control financing to weapons of mass destruction and terror activities. This discussion was supposed to have happened last Thursday. This was only delayed to allow the Opposition members to participate in the debate. But the manner in which the Opposition is behaving is extremely disturbing,’’said GVL Narasimha Rao of the BJP.

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