New Delhi, Nov 24: Notwithstanding reports of a government-BJP thaw, Parliament was disrupted for the third consecutive day today over price rise and other issues with no signs of normalcy returning tomorrow.
The issue of separate Telangana added fuel to the fire in Lok Sabha with members from the region in Andhra Pradesh, majority of them from Congress, creating turmoil.
Despite government attempting to reach out to the Opposition by agreeing to an adjournment motion on the issue of black money, it did not cool tempers in either House and there was trouble from the beginning.
Agitated members raised slogans, staged a sit-in in the Well and walked out, leading to two adjournments of the Lok Sabha and three of the Rajya Sabha.
In the afternoon, Deputy leader of the BJP S S Ahluwalia referred in the Rajya Sabha to the slapping of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, saying it shows the anger among the people over price rise.
“People are agitated over price rise. Just now, we have received information that agitated due to price rise, a person has slapped Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar,” he said in the Upper House amid uproar.
Earlier, as soon as the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha assembled for the day, members of Left, BJP, BSP, RJD and BJD were vocal on the issue of price rise.
Left members were pressing for adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on the issue and debate under a rule which entails voting in the Rajya Sabha.
This was despite the fact that a special discussion under a rule which does not entail voting was listed in the Lok Sabha in the name of CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia.
CPI-M Parliamentary Party leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters that the Left would agree to nothing short of an adjournment motion on the issue of price rise.
Inflation has remained near double digit for a long time with high food prices hitting the household budget of the common man.
Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day in the afternoon as the opposition did not heed to repeated pleas of the Chair to allow discussion on price rise.
“We want 167,” the entire opposition chanted referring to the Rajya Sabha rule under which voting takes place after a discussion.
Members were not ready to listen to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who was explaining as to how food inflation has come down.
On Telangana issue, members from the region including those from Congress raised slogans in the Lok Sabha to press for separate statehood demand.
Some Congress members were also seen in the well along with TRS supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao and Vijayashanti.
The members refused to leave the well despite Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj assuring them that she was with the demand and that they should first allow a discussion on price rise.
Members of the BJD wanted ‘special category status' to flood-ravaged Odisha. BJD members staged a walkout later.
In the din, Speaker Meira Kumar announced that as per the rules, the adjournment motions on “unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities” moved by SP and other parties could not be accepted.
However, a special discussion on the same issue under Rule 193, which does not entail voting, would take place today.
