LS witnesses ruckus, adjournments, complaints; Speaker expresses pain at developments

The first day of the second half of the budget session witnessed ruckus, repeated adjournments, and complaints by members of Congress and BJP against each other following protest by the opposition over Delhi violence as Speaker Om Birla expressed his personal pain over the developments.

Amid sloganeering, the Speaker went ahead with the listed business for the day. Members of Congress and BJP pushed each other and papers were also torn. Two women MPs lodged complaints of physical assault against each other with the Speaker.

The ruckus started soon after the Lok Sabha met at 2 pm following an adjournment earlier. Congress members, who were supported by members of some other parties, came to the well of the House carrying placards and raised slogans against the government and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020 for consideration and passage in the House amid sloganeering.

BJP member Sanjay Jaiswal, who spoke on the bill, lammed Congress President Sonia Gandhi over his speech at an anti-CAA rally in Delhi in which she had talked of "aar paar ki ladai".

Congress members went near the treasury benches carrying a black banner at which the BJP members rushed towards Congress members.

Speaker urged Congress members to take their seats during their protest but they continued raising slogans.

"It should be our collective responsibility that peace and amity is maintained," he said and added that the members should, directly and indirectly, contribute to the process," he said.

The Speaker assured the Opposition members that the House will take up discussion on the violence in Delhi once the situation normalises.

He said the members do not have the right to raise slogans in the House.

"The priority is normalcy but they are behaving in an unruly manner. Let the peace be restored and discussion can be taken up. I condemn their attitude," he said.

The House was adjourned till 3 pm, 4 pm, 4.30 pm and later for the day.

Congress MP Ramya Haridas lodged a complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker alleging physical assault on her by BJP member Jaskaur Meena.

She asked if she had been physically assaulted because she was a Dalit and a woman.

"On March 2 at 3 pm inside Lok Sabha, I was physically assaulted by MP Jaskaur Meena. Is this repeatedly happens to me just because I am a Dalit and a woman? I request you to take action against the said MP," she asked.

Soon after, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje made a complaint against Ramya for allegedly attacking Jaskaur Meena and demanded her immediate expulsion.

Union Minister Smriti Irani supported Meena.

Karandlaje said Meena, a three-time MP and "pride of countless women especially those from the tribal community" was "jostled with inside the House against all norms of decency".

"The female Opposition MP earlier had pushed a male BJP MP in order to provoke him," she said.

The letter alleged that BJP MPs have been facing heckling.

Meena suggested that Haridas should not play the Dalit card as she too comes from the tribal community.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi attacked Congress and accused it of involvement in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in Delhi in which over 3,000 people were killed. He said the Congress did not act against those responsible for the violence.

"People who had murdered more than 3,000 Sikhs are talking in this manner! These people have provoked the people there for riots. The priority of the House is the restoration of normalcy but they are behaving in an unruly manner and asking for resignation," he said.

Pointing towards Opposition members, Joshi said Congress members had torn papers in the House. "I strongly condemn it," he said.

Birla, who adjourned the House for the day, expressed "personal pain" over ruckus in the House.

The Speaker said that the House should be run when members agree to run it with dignity.

"Our effort should be that we maintain the dignity of Parliament. I am personally pained over what happened in the House," he said, noting that he did not want to run the House in this condition.

Referring to members who had raised slogans, he said they would not be pained but he is very pained.

He urged all members, especially senior members, to work towards ensuring that the Lok Sabha runs with dignity.

Birla said the House belongs to all members and they can agree on a tradition to run it with dignity. "I feel when the House functions properly in a manner that democracy is strengthened, then only it should be run," he said.

Earlier, the House was adjourned till 2 pm over the death of sitting member Baidyanath Prasad Mahto of Janata Dal-United.

The Parliament met on Monday for the second half of the budget session after a recess. The first half of the budget session had concluded on February 11.