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For the seventh day of the Winter Session, the Lok Sabha witnessed noisy scenes with the Opposition parties demanding the Prime Minister’s presence in the House for a debate on demonetisaton and an apology from him for his jibe at them.
At a function in the morning, the Prime Minister, while attacking the Opposition for criticising the government’s lack of preparedness for demonetisation, said he was being attacked as it is they (the Opposition) who did not get time to prepare in advance.
Opposition members raised slogans in the Well asking Modi to make his statements inside the House, not outside.
As the House met, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said: “The issue now is not our demand for an adjournment motion but the remarks of the Prime Minister... He said the Opposition supports black money.”
After taking a few questions during Question Hour, the Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan, adjourned the House after expressing her dismay at the Opposition not helping her to run the House.
After the break, the Speaker went ahead with the laying of papers and Zero Hour for over 35 minutes amid the din.
However, Mahajan allowed Trinamool leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay to speak, while not allowing Kharge to do so. “You can’t shout slogan in the Well and also want me to allow your leader to speak,” she told agitated Congress members.
The Prime Minister’s comments have hurt the Opposition’s feelings, the TMC leader said, demanding that he withdraw them and apologise, drawing protests from the Treasury benches.
Later, the speaker adjourned the House for the day as Opposition protests continued.
Man tries to jump from visitor’s gallery
There was a fluuter in the Lok Sabha on Friday morning, when a man in the visitor’s gallery tried to jump over the railings into the chamber above the Treasury benches. However, security personnel promptly overpowered him and took him away.
The incident, which may be a case of security breach, happened soon after the proceedings were adjourned at 11.20 am as Opposition protests continued over the demonetisation issue.
Later, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan informed the House that the man had been identified as one Rakesh Singh Baghel from Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh.
“He may be released with a warning after enquiry,” Mahajan said and hoped that the House agreed with it. In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government was in agreement.
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