New Delhi: Both Houses of the Parliament have been adjourned till 2 pm on Wednesday. While Rajya Sabha was adjourned at 1 pm following the Question Hour, Lok Sabha was adjourned earlier in the day following protests by Opposition party MPs over various issues including raids at the premises of the National Herald newspaper in connection with a money laundering investigation. The ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament has witnessed repeated adjournments due to protests by Opposition MPs.
Earlier in the day, Congress and the Shiv Sena MPs tried to raise the issue of of alleged misuse of central investigating agencies by the government in the Rajya Sabha but Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu disallowed them from doing so. Shiv Sena MPs has been trying to raise the issue of the arrest of Sanjay Raut by ED in a money laundering a case for a few days.
Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge and his colleague Deepender Singh Hooda, Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi and AAP's Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha gave notices under rule 267 but they were not admitted.
"You know my position. These are all notices not worth to be taken up under 267," Naidu said. Rule 267 provides for setting aside the business of the day to take up discussion on the issue being raised in such notice.
Kharge charged the BJP-led government of misusing the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax to target political rivals. The government is using the investigating agencies with a vengeance as part of a plan to target political opponents as well as bring down democratically elected state governments, he alleged seeking a discussion.
"I am not admitting it," Naidu said. The notice by Congress leaders came a day after the ED raided the head office of the National Herald newspaper here and 11 other locations as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation. The ED had earlier questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son and party leader Rahul Gandhi in the case.
Chaturvedi said her party leader and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was arrested by the ED without informing the chairman. "As per rule 220 of rule book, they should have kept you informed. Were they doing? Are they undermining your constitutional position," she asked Naidu.
She alleged that the country was moving towards ED-raaj without any accountability, which is worrying. But her notice too wasn't admitted. As for Lok Sabha Congress members trooped to the Well of the House raising slogans against the Modi government when the House reconvened at 12 noon. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tried to raise the issue of investigation into the National Herald newspaper, but was disallowed by the chair.
BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, allowed the laying of parliamentary papers on the table of the House and introduction of the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill by Power Minister R K Singh. As protests by the opposition continued, Agarwal adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
Earlier, when the House assembled for the day at 11 am, the opposition members protested over the issue of GST on essential items, inflation and the actions of the Enforcement Directorate. They expressed their dissatisfaction at the response of the government on the issues of GST on essential items and inflation.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi was seen asking party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to speak on certain issues. Congress members and DMK leader T R Baalu also urged Speaker Om Birla to allow Chowdhury to speak but the permission was not granted. Congress members also trooped into the Well of the House while some DMK members were seen protesting, standing at their seats.
Three questions and their supplementaries were taken up during the Question Hour. After 15 minutes into the Question Hour, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till noon as the din continued. (with Agency inputs)
