Ghulam Nabi Azad in RS Tuesday. (PTI Photo)
The government and the Opposition have agreed to take up a short-duration discussion in Rajya Sabha Wednesday on recent lynching incidents and attacks on Dalits, while Lok Sabha will discuss the agrarian crisis. This was after a stormy start to the monsoon session Tuesday, with the Opposition disrupting both Houses on several issues.
The Opposition has identified six issues to target the government with — lynchings, the standoff with China, farmer suicides, terror attack on Amarnath yatris, use of CBI and ED to “target” Opposition leaders and the effects of GST and demonetisation. Sources said these were identified before the House convened, when Opposition leaders met to decide a floor strategy. All parties would submit notices for discussion on the six issues.
As soon as Rajya Sabha met, AIADMK members rushed to the well demanding exemption for Tamil Nadu from NEET, the medical college entrance. BSP and Congress members wanted a discussion on attacks on Dalits and lynchings.
The first of the six issues identified came up when BSP chief Mayawati raised the attacks on Dalits in Saharanpur. When deputy chairman P J Kurien asked her to wrap up her speech after three minutes, she engaged in an exchange with him and eventually walked out, announcing her resignation from Rajya Sabha.
Amid the din that followed, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was heard saying that Mayawati was challenging and threatening the chair. He sought an apology from her, saying she had insulted the chair and was merely indulging in a political speech. He said people of Uttar Pradesh had defeated her politically. This triggered another angry reaction, this time from Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad.
“When Mayawati was speaking about Dalits… you said you have got the mandate of the people. The mandate is to run the government, resolve the issues faced by the farmers, protect Dalits, minorities and the poor… We didn’t know the mandate of the people you got was to massacre Dalits and minorities… If you have got the mandate for this… then we are not with you,” Azad said, before walking out of the House.
The CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said the ruling party was disrupting the House. “Because they cannot answer… They cannot answer all these questions. Why don’t they allow us to raise? They are not willing… Then what are they willing to discuss?” Yechury said. “There are attacks on Dalits. Atrocities are growing. There are attacks on minorities. Farmers are being pushed to commit suicide… They promised one-and-a-half times the minimum support price from input cost. For three years they have not done that. They had promised loan waiver. They have not done that. They have betrayed on all these instances,” he said.
After lunch, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said the government was ready to accept the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the repeated incidents of lynching. Yet the House failed to transact any business. There were two adjournments and for much of the few minutes that the House sat, Congress members stood in the well sloganeering and demanding apologies from the government.
Immediately after the House re-convened after lunch, Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien had started talking about his notice on the issue of lynchings. Even before O’Brien had finished, Jaitley said, “Do the discussion now.” When O’Brien claimed that during the morning session it was the treasury benches that had disrupted proceedings, Kurien shot back: “Derek do not mislead.” Jaitley repeated: “Start discussion right now.”
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar taunted the Opposition for “running away from a discussion. Himmat hai to charcha karo (if you have the courage, discuss).”
The Business Advisory Committee met soon after the House was adjourned for the day. Sources said the government and the Opposition agreed to hold a series of discussions, including on the flood situation this week under a calling attention motion.
Azad, O’Brien, Yechury and Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party) have given notices for taking up the lynchings and assaults in Rajya Sabha.
In Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia of the Congress and B Mahtab of the BJD will raise a discussion on the agrarian situation in the country under Rule 193.
