The opposition will boycott the Rajya Sabha proceedings until three key demands are met, including the revocation of the suspension of eight members, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad declared today in the upper house as the great drama continues for the third day in a row. . The suspended members continued their sit-in on the lawn of the parliament complex after spending the night there in protest. They were suspended for Sunday’s unprecedented chaos and “rebellious behavior” in the Rajya Sabha when two controversial farm laws were passed. Rajya Sabha’s vice president is at the center of opposition protests; his motion of no confidence against him was rejected yesterday by President Venkaiah Naidu.
Here are the top 10 updates to this great story:
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Speaking after Zero Hour, Azad, who is the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, filed three demands, including the revocation of the suspension of the eight members. He also demanded that the government present a bill that should guarantee that private actors do not purchase food grains below the minimum support price (MSP) set by the government. The third demand from the opposition was that the MSP rely on the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan committee report.
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Rajya Sabha Vice President Harivansh approached protesting members with tea and served it in cups this morning on the lawn of the parliament complex. The suspended members rejected his “tea diplomacy”, calling it “anti-farmer”.
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Shortly after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came out strongly in support of Harivansh. “Serving tea personally to those who attacked and insulted him a few days ago, as well as those who were sitting in Dharna, shows that Shri Harivansh Ji has been blessed with a humble mind and a great heart. It shows his greatness. I join the people of India in congratulating Harivansh Ji, “tweeted Prime Minister Modi.
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Scorned after the tea gesture, the Rajya Sabha vice president declared a fast day until tomorrow, expressing his distress over the opposition attacks in parliament. Commenting on Harivansh’s gesture of offering tea, Azad said: “I appreciate it. We may have different opinions, but we must act like family.”
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The eight suspended Rajya Sabha members include Derek O’Brien from the Trinamool Congress, Sanjay singh from the Aam Aadmi Party, Rajeev Satav from Congress and KK Ragesh from the CPM.
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Quoting former Finance Minister and BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley, Azad said in the Rajya Sabha: “In 2016, Arun Jaitley had said that any government would become illegitimate if the speaker refuses to hold the vote. In today’s newspapers. , there are ads for ‘one nation, one market.’ For God’s sake, don’t move to ‘one nation, one market.’ To this, Venkaiah Naidu responded, saying: “Arun Jaitley no longer exists. Arun Jaitley had also spoken about ‘minority tyranny.’
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“You can suspend me. You cannot silence me,” Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress, who is among eight members suspended, tweeted.
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“I am a high-ranking member of Parliament, I apologized for what happened in the house, but did not get any response. I found this very insulting. My party has decided to boycott the entire session,” Samajwadi Party member Rajya Sabha said Ram Gopal Yadav.
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Opposition members accuse the vice president of helping the government rush the agricultural laws in Rajya Sabha on Sunday without following the democratic process. Harivansh had rejected their requests to send the bills to a select committee for review or even to extend the discussion until Monday. The bills were approved by voice vote after the president rejected the opposition’s requests for physical voting and splitting of votes.
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Dramatic scenes unfolded in Rajya Sabha on Sunday when angry opposition members climbed onto the Secretary-General’s table in the center of the Chamber, threw a rule book at Harivansh and took out microphones. Some members also tore copies of the bills. In the unprecedented scenes, the bailiffs had to form a wall between the vice president and the protesting members.
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