Seven mantris take House battle to opposition

NEW DELHI: The government fielded as many as seven ministers on Thursday to demand a high-level committee to review the video of chaotic proceedings in Rajya Sabha and take strong action against MPs who indulged in “violence” while rebutting the opposition allegations of marshals and “outsiders” assaulting MPs as “baseless and false”.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said opposition leaders were shedding crocodile tears as their agenda of “anarchy” was exposed. He claimed that the opposition MPs had warned of dire consequences, in case any bill other than the one to restore rights of states to draw up OBC lists, was taken up for passage.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said MPs climbed the table, tried to break the gate while a window glass was actually broken and a woman security staff injured. She had lodged a complaint and on Tuesday a file was thrown at the chair.

“We called on Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and urged him to take strong action against these MPs so that none dares to repeat such acts of vandalism in the House in future,” Goyal said and added, “The Opposition's approach of `my way or highway' is highly condemnable and the country also condemns such attitude.”
Goyal also referred to the action against “unruly” MPs when late Somnath Chatterjee was the Lok Sabha Speaker. Chatterjee had taken an unprecedented move, cracking the whip by referring as many as 32 MPs to the privileges committee after they paid no heed to repeated warnings of disciplinary action.
Goyal also clarified that 30 marshals were on duty on Wednesday and there was no one from outside as was alleged by some leaders like NCP’s Sharad Pawar.
The Union ministers cited videos showing women marshals being jostled by the opposition MPs.
The two ministers were also joined by Bhupender Yadav, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Anurag Thakur, Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan. About Opposition allegations that they were not allowed to speak, Goyal accused them of being “selective” as they sought division once and took part in the constitution amendment bill on OBC.
I&B minister Anurag Thakur said, “The Secretary General’s table in Rajya Sabha is not meant for dancing and protesting.” He alleged that “anarchy from streets to Parliament” was the Opposition’s only agenda during the monsoon session.
He said the Opposition should apologise to the nation for what happened in Parliament during the session. “Congress and some other opposition parties have committed a sin of spreading pollution in Parliament and political hypocrisy on the streets during the monsoon Session. This is called “Chori Aur Seena Zori,” Naqvi said.