Protests mar RS proceedings

Protests over "politics of vendetta" disrupted proceedings in the Rajya Sabha for the second consecutive day today, taking toll of Zero Hour and Question Hour with Congress members forcing four adjournments in the first half.
BJD members also trooped into the Well carrying placards opposing the multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas reacted sharply to the ruckus saying that Congress was insulting the mandate of the people and went on to suggest that the main opposition party was not willing to allow the passage of key legislations like the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad responded saying the government must take action against BJP Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over "corruption" cases.
Azad revived the attack on Chief Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh on a day when a high-level BJP delegation is meeting President Pranab Mukherjee seeking removal of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is being probed by CBI, Enforcement Directorate and IT department over graft charges.
Even before Deputy Chairman P J Kurien could take his seat when the House assembled for the day, Congress members rushed into the Well shouting slogans like "Modi teri tanashahi nahi chalegi (authoritarianism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be tolerated)."

BJD members also trooped into the Well carrying placards opposing the multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project. The placards read "Polavaram will harm Odisha", "Condemn Polavaram. Stop Stop" and "We Oppose Polavaram."

Amid the din, Kurien got the listed papers of the day laid on the table of the House, but two of them to be laid by Congress members were not tabled.
Wansuk Syiem (Cong) did not move a petition signed by a Guwahati-resident praying for improvement and strengthening of non-lapsable central pool for resources schemes in the Northeast, despite Kurien calling her repeatedly.
Syiem's party colleague Viplove Thakur also did not present the reports of the Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi also charged the Congress with insulting the mandate of the people and went on to suggest that the House should not be adjourned.
"Don't you know that displaying placards is not allowed," Kurien told BJD members. "Shouting slogan is also not allowed. Coming into well is also not allowed," he told the protesting Congress MPs.
He asked members to return to their places and allow the Zero Hour to proceed but no one heeded to his pleas, forcing him to first adjourn the House till 11:30 hours.
Similar scenes were witnessed when the House reassembled at noon with slogan-shouting Congress members again trooping into the Well. They were followed by BJD members who too rushed to the Well with some of them carrying placards.

Amid the din, Naqvi said important bills like the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, were before the House. In addition, discussion on an important matter like price rise, which was demanded by Congress, was also listed, he added.
Everybody knows "history and geography" of Congress, Naqvi said, adding government was ready for discussion. "If they (Congress) feel they are being discriminated, we are ready for a discussion," he said.
As the din continued Kurien adjourned the House till noon.
The scene was no different when the House again resumed at noon with the protesting members continuing slogan- shouting from the Well when Chairman Hamid Ansari called for the Question Hour.

Ansari was heard asking how did the members manage to bring posters inside the House. He attempted to take up the Question Hour but as the din continued, he adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
After the House resumed at 12.15, similar scenes were witnessed. Ansari again attempted to allow questions to be taken up but members from both Congress and BJD trooped into the Well raising slogans. As his attempts to bring normalcy in the House failed, Ansari again adjourned the House till 2 PM.