The Opposition on Tuesday forced repeated adjournments in the Rajya Sabha with the Bharatiya Janata Party persisting with its protest for the fourth consecutive day over appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat.
The party, supported by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, also sought to corner the government over a motion on filling up of vacancies in the Joint Parliamentary Committee on spectrum allocation, on a technical ground.
The BJP, helped by Shiv Sena, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal-United and AIADMK, started the protest right from the beginning during Question Hour and the House had to be adjourned till noon.
Soon after the House reassembled, BJP members trooped into the well seeking recall of Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal. As Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan asked for paper laying, the BJP members shouted slogans.
BJP Deputy Leader S S Ahluwalia and V Maitreyan (AIADMK) were seen having a heated argument with the Chair over a government motion for filling up vacancies to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on spectrum allocation.
After Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla moved the motion for election of E M Sudarsana Natchiappan (Congress) and re-election of Sitaram Yechury (Communist Party of India-Marxist) to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Ahluwalia raised objections pointing out that it suffers from a technical flaw. He argued that an amendment was moved to the earlier motion for filling up one vacancy.
He said there should be two separate motions for filling up the two vacancies. This prompted Khan to ask under which rule, Ahluwalia and Maitreyan were raising objections. When Ahluwalia said he wanted to move another amendment and sought time for the same, Khan said, "You should have moved the amendment (earlier)."
After heated arguments with the BJP and AIADMK members for a brief period, Khan asked for a voice vote on the motion. The motion was then adopted by a voice vote. But, when Ahluwalia and Maitreyan pressed for a division, Khan adjourned the House till 14:00 hours.
Earlier, as the BJP members were shouting slogans, Khan chided Rudra Narayan Pany for disorder in House. "You create disorder. Don't question me. You have put the House in disorder, not me," an anguished Khan said.
It is for the fourth consecutive day that the BJP has been disrupting the proceedings in protest against the appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat by the Governor without consulting the Modi government.
Amid din, Telugu Desam Party members displayed placards demanding implementation of M S Swaminathan Committee recommendations on providing liberal credit to farmers.
