Parliament Row: Fresh video shows Oppn MPs jostling with marshals, tearing papers and climbing tables

The video comes amid the Opposition's charges of the government curtailing the Monsoon Session by two days and manhandling its MPs during the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha. (ANI Photo)

Amid the mudslinging between the government and Opposition over the curtailed Monsoon Session and the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, a CCTV footage from the Upper House was released today in which the opposition members can be seen jostling the security personnel.

The protests by the opposition members escalated when the bill for privatisation of state-owned general insurance companies was approved by the House by a voice vote amid demands of sending it to a select committee.

The 2-minute-50-second long video showed opposition MPs raising slogans at the centre of the House and marshals, responsible for the security of the Parliament, trying to restrain them. Several opposition members can also be seen tearing papers and flinging them, while one of them is climbing a table.

#WATCH CCTV footage shows Opposition MPs jostling with marshals in Parliament yesterday pic.twitter.com/y7ufJOQGvT

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2021

The video comes amid the Opposition’s charges of the government curtailing the Monsoon Session by two days and manhandling its MPs during the ruckus in the Rajya Sabha.

They alleged that “outsiders who were not part of Parliament security were brought in to manhandle opposition leaders and members, including women MPs”.

Just hours after Chairman Naidu’s condemnation of the conduct of the opposition MPs amid high drama on Tuesday, an unprecedented security staff deployment inside the Rajya Sabha chamber to prevent a repeat of the ugly scenes of members climbing on tables did not deter them from creating a ruckus as they tore papers, jostled with the marshals and attempted to go near the presiding officer’s chair.

As all hell broke loose when the insurance amendment bill was taken up, the opposition MPs called it a “sell-off” and stormed into the Well of the House shouting anti-government slogans. They were, however, prevented from going anywhere near the table of the House or the chair by a wall of about 50 security staff that sort of cordoned off what Chairman Naidu referred to as the “sanctum sanctorum”. Naidu also said a “certain degree of sacredness” is attached to this place.

Opposition protests over the Pegasus snooping row and the three contentious farm laws had continuously marred proceedings in both Houses of Parliament right from the start of the Monsoon session on July 19. The government, however, managed to get a raft of bills passed amid the din but has come under attack from the opposition.