NEW DELHI, July 27: The Rajya Sabha on Monday failed to transact any legislative business on Monday – the sixth day in a row since the start of the Monsoon session – as the Opposition created uproar and demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement and accountability over the issue of police action against protesting students on paper leaks.
The government accused the Opposition of creating ruckus even when it wanted to bring an important legislation to provide for strictest punishment against paper leaks and the House had already allotted time for discussing the same.
The Upper House witnessed four adjournments before it was finally adjourned for the day a few minutes after 5.15 PM.Soon after the House assembled at 11 AM, and after the laying of papers, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan rejected notices under Rule 267 by several opposition members demanding a discussion on the police action aganst students and a statement from the Home Minister.
Raising the issue of alleged atrocities on protesting students, LoP Mallikarjun Kharge alleged the police action on them was unprecedented and sought a statement from the Home minister and his accountability.
“It has never happened in history of India that boys were beaten… and they were gagged by pellets,” Kharge said.
Radhakrishnan referred to his earlier ruling that Rule 267 could only be invoked to discuss items already listed on the day’s agenda, and only in the “rarest of rare” circumstances with the consensus of the House.He said he has to go by rules, asserting that the rule is applied in the the “rarest of rare” occasions, to which Kharge argued that the alleged police action against students qualified such an occasion.The exchanges escalated into a noisy protest, forcing the chairman to adjourn the House proceedings till 12 noon.When the House met again, it was adjourned for the second time as Opposition sought to raise the issue of alleged police brutality against students.Opposition MPs raised slogans demanding the presence of the Home Minister to make a statement in the House. (PTI)
