Opposition stalls Lok Sabha proceedings over price rise, rail fare hike
New Delhi: The issues of price rise and rail fare hike disrupted proceedings in Lok Sabha on the opening day of the Budget session on Monday with Opposition insisting on a discussion on the matter through adjournment motions.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan rejected the notices for adjournment motions but said she was ready to have special discussion under Rule 193 that does not entail voting.
Trouble started as soon as the Question Hour began, with members of Congress, Trinamool Congress, RJD, SP, Aam Aadmi Party and the Left trooping into the Well raising the issues of price rise and rail fare hike.
Mahajan's repeated pleas to allow the questions to be taken up went unheeded, leading to adjournment of the House for nearly 40 minutes tillnoon.
When the House re-assembled, similar scenes were witnessed.
Congress Deputy Leader Amarinder Singh said his party was pushing for the motion in view of the government's "failure" to check skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, including pulses and vegetables, hurting the common man.
"Why can't we have a discussion on the issue like in Rajya Sabha which suspended Question Hour to take up the discussion," Singh asked.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government has nothing to hide and was ready for discussion on the matter under Rule 193.
The Speaker observed that she would not allow adjournment motion either on price rise or rail fare hike but was ready to have a discussion under Rule 193.
As agitating members were not satisfied, the Speaker said, "so you don't want the Zero Hour also" and adjourned the House at around 1215 hours till 1400 hours.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia mentioned that Rajya Sabha has allowed discussion on the issue of price rise, but Mahajan said matters of the other House cannot be discussed in the Lok Sabha.
Amid uproar, the Speaker was heard saying that members were not interested in discussing issues of the poor.
"I am sorry, if you don't want to discuss (price rise) I am adjourning the House," Mahajan said and adjourned the House for the day at around 1410 hours.
Earlier, Mahajan's repeated pleas to allow the questions to be taken up went unheeded as Opposition members continued slogan shouting against hike in prices of food as well as petrol, diesel and LPG besides rail fare hike.
When the protests began soon after the House assembled for the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen standing in the aisle as his colleagues were in the Well.
Slogans like "achha din ayega, mahangai badhayega (good days will come, prices will rise)" and 'roll back rail fare hike' were heard in the House.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) members were also in the Well opposing the ordinance on the Polavaram project.
Earlier, when the House met for the day trouble arose with opposition members trooping into the Well.
Mahajan's repeated pleas to allow the questions to be taken up went unheeded, leading to adjournment of the House for nearly 40 minutes tillnoon. When the House re-assembled, similar scenes were witnessed and it was again adjourned till 1400 hours.
