Parliament deadlocked again as price rise protests continue
The deadlock in Indian parliament over the rising prices of commodities continued Thursday
New Delhi: The deadlock in parliament over the rising prices of essential commodities continued Thursday with a determined opposition stalling both houses and no business being transacted for the third working day of the monsoon session.
Opposition parties across the spectrum protested both inside and outside the house.
A day after Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar rejected the opposition demand for debating the issue as an adjournment motion that entails voting, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders L.K. Advani, Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj, among others, took the battle to the Rashtrapati Bhavan seeking President Pratibha Patil's intervention.
Non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) opposition parties chose to demonstrate inside the Parliament House complex.
Demanding a rollback in the hike in fuel prices, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India, along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), the AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) wanted a discussion under rules which have a specific provision for voting.
Vociferous protests
The protests were preceded by repeated disruptions in parliament, forcing the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha to be again adjourned for the day.
Vociferous protests by the opposition erupted as the two houses assembled at 11am.
Failing to restore order, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the proceedings till noon.
However, as the pandemonium continued when they reassembled, both houses were adjourned for the day after government papers were tabled.
Amidst the bedlam, the two houses also approved the imposition of president's rule in Jharkhand.
In the Lok Sabha, angry opposition members led by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Mulayam Singh of the Samajwadi Party were on their feet as the house resumed in the morning, demanding a discussion on the price rise issue under an adjournment motion that entails voting.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal objected to the opposition's demand and stated that the government was ready for a discussion under rule 193, which does not entail voting.
