Ruckus in Parliament over Gaza

Opposition stalls proceedings in RS after govt refuses to discuss matter

 

Parliament witnessed noisy scenes on Wednesday after the government refused to allow a discussion on Israel’s ongoing onslaught in Gaza, saying it would impact India’s diplomatic relations with both Israel and Palestine. Opposition parties strongly objected to this on the ground that the government cannot reject a listed business in the House.

Trouble started soon after the Question Hour when the topic was taken up for discussion. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj objected to it, stating she was not aware of the listing of the issue for the day and that she had written to Chairman Hamid Ansari requesting it be dropped. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu then urged the House to first take up the debate on the Railway Budget.

However, the Opposition refused to accept this. “We cannot take up the Railway Budget unless the first item is disposed off,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Rejecting the government’s stance, the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Trinamool Congress demanded the issue be taken up and that it cannot be dismissed at the whims of the government.

After repeated disruptions, the House had to be finally adjourned at 3 pm.

Denying the government’s claim that it was not aware of the listed business in the House, the Opposition stated it could not be listed without the knowledge of the government.

The conflict in Gaza started last month after three Israeli teenagers were allegedly kidnapped and killed by Hamas, the militant movement that controls Gaza. Reacting sharply to the gruesome killings, Israeli planes have struck about 1,700 targets since last week and more than 1,250 rockets have been fired. About 200 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and several hundreds injured in the Israeli attack.

Congress sources said Parliament had in the past held discussions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, even during the regime of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. So, the contention that it would affect relations with the two countries is unfounded, they said. Moreover, while a brief discussion had occurred in the Lok Sabha, with People’s Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti raising the issue, there was no reason why it could not be taken up in the Rajya Sabha, they argued.

The Opposition parties were adamant to not allow House proceedings to take place on Thursday, should the government not relent.