Monsoon session: Opposition protest leads to adjournment of both Houses

Agitating MPs wanted all other businesses to be put aside to discuss price rise, inflation and rupee depreciation

The Opposition forced adjournment of both Houses on Wednesday after the government rejected its demand that Parliament put aside all other businesses to discuss price rise, inflation and rupee depreciation immediately.

In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla had to resort to some plain speaking when Opposition members came to the House, raising slogans against the government. They were armed with placards and packets of milk, curd, cottage cheese and other commodities on which goods and services tax (GST) had been increased.

The Opposition rejected the Speaker’s offer that the matter could be raised during Zero Hour — the short gap between the end of question hour and beginning of a day’s business. It is when matters of urgent public importance are flagged.

Birla was especially irate over the use of placards, something that he pointed out on Tuesday, too, as “a violation of House rules.” He said, “People have not sent you to show these placards. Those doing that are hurting the Parliament’s prestige.”

In the Rajya Sabha also, the Opposition’s bid to get the rest of the business adjourned to give precedence to price met with pushback from the government. 

The Upper House adjourned transacting minimal business at 11 am and 2 pm.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Article 267 of the rules of the House says any member can seek suspension of normal business to address an urgent problem that relates to the people. What can be more important than the cost of living for ordinary people — the price of petrol, diesel, curd and buttermilk? The government does not want to discuss this.

We asked the chairman. He said, apply for permission. But under the rules, this permission is not required when members raise it under Article 267. Our aim is to get the government to put aside all other businesses and discuss this. The government and the chairman are not interested, because they know their mismanagement will be evident to everyone.”

At 10 am, the Opposition massed outside the Parliament House entrance to protest against the price rise.

Leaders of Opposition parties, including the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Left raised slogans against the government. They demanded a roll back of the hike in GST rates on commodities like curd, bread and paneer.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others were present during the protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Parliament premises. This pattern of agitating is likely to continue till the government agrees to hold a discussion.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi said the government is ready for a discussion at any time. However, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is down with Covid and as soon as she recovers a discussion is likely to be held.

“The Congress has to indicate whether it has any sincere desire to have a discussion or is it just trying to stall proceedings?” Joshi asked.

One of the government’s problems seems to be how to prioritise all the demands for urgent discussions.

For instance, on Wednesday alone, there were three motions for adjournment. One was by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the DMK on inflation and price rise. The other was in the Rajya Sabha by AAP MP Raghav Chadha on the MSP Committee and farmers’ issues. The third was by CPI(M) MP K Suresh on the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar.