Goyal says Opp has no intent to debate; Badal slams LSTV ‘politics’

There was no sign of let up as trading of charges continued between the treasury and Opposition in the Lok Sabha with the introduction of two Bills amid the din and repeated adjournments.

While the government alleged that the Opposition did not have any intention to debate any issue but a “mindset to create disorder”, the Opposition maintained that they wanted a discussion on the Pegasus issue and intensified efforts to put up a fiercer offence.

The Opposition MPs were also agitated over their protests not shown or heard on the Lok Sabha TV and had earlier complained to Speaker Om Birla. On Thursday, the television screens placed inside the House were showing the protesting MPs and their placards but the MPs later realised that the telecast version had blocked their protests.

The treasury benches, on the other hand, have taken strong offence to the Opposition MPs trying to hold placards against the Chair.

“This government is trying to trample over every democratic right. Not only that, they are not allowing us to raise the issues by not admitting the adjournment motions we are giving repeatedly. Even the Lok Sabha TV is used for a political purpose only to show the ruling party and not to show the Opposition protesting,” said SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who has been protesting over the contentious farm Bills in the Lok Sabha. “Today they even went to the extent of playing a trick on the MPs where TV screens inside the House showed our protests but what the public sees did not show it… clearly shows that the government is on the backfoot…”

The question hour ran for 30 minutes but the slogan-shouting by the MPs in the well of the House forced Speaker Om Birla to adjourn the proceedings. “People want you to raise questions…they are asking why our money is wasted like this,” the Speaker said.

The House functioned barely for five minutes after it was reconvened at 2 pm. Amid the din, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced a Bill to amend the Central Universities Act, which aims to establish a Central university in Ladakh.

However, Congress leader Manish Tewari said there was a time-honoured convention of the Parliament that until the House is in order, a legislation cannot be discussed. RSP’s N K Premchandran too opposed the introduction of the Bill. The House was adjourned immediately after the Bill was introduced.

When the House met at 5 pm, the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was introduced by a voice vote amid similar objections by the Opposition.

As the Opposition disrupted proceedings, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the Pegasus issue had come up in the past too. “This issue has come up in 2019 and now again…The IT Minister has given a statement in Parliament and the members could ask for clarification… However, they have no intention to discuss the issue so they did not even ask..Their mindset is to create disorder,” he said.

Meanwhile, at a press conference at the BJP headquarters, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the Congress. “It is worth noting that when in power, UPA passed dozens of Bills either without debate or with pandemonium in the din. This includes the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2007, Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Bill, 2007, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. (Amendment) Act, 2007 and more.”