Opposition ups the ante against RS Chairman

The Opposition is unhappy with the Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and they have decided to convey their “displeasure” at the way he is chairing the House.

A section of the Opposition wants a letter to be officially sent to the Chairman pointing out their grievances, but another section says that it will be an unprecedented step and the Opposition should rather voice their concerns at the leaders’ meetings held almost every day during the session. “We have certain issues, but we have not decided how to convey that to the Chairman,” a senior member from the Opposition said.

The unease between the Chairman and the Opposition members was visible as the House had to be adjourned for the third consecutive day on Thursday without taking up any government business. A short duration discussion on the Minimum Support Prices for kharif crops and “challenges in the agricultural sector” could not take place in the House as the Opposition insisted that the reply on the NRC issue must be completed before taking up any another subject.

BJP president Amit Shah was supposed to initiate the short-duration discussion. Trinamool Congress members stormed to the well of the House demanding a reply by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said his party had moved a notice demanding a clarification from the Home Minister on the issue of NRC.

Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar supported O’Brien’s demand. “This subject (NRC), which is very sensitive, is of national interest, and, in the discussion, various views were expressed. I think it would be in the larger interest that we should hear the Home Minister and know the exact position,” Pawar said.

Azad added that the Opposition is not against discussing farmers’ issues. “It is an issue of the farmers and everybody wants to participate in this discussion. Let this message not go that we are against it,” Azad said.

Naidu, however, urged the members to allow the discussion on farmers’ issues. “I have to have a word with the Home Minister about his business there (in the Lok Sabha) and then decide. We will take up the farmers’ issue now, and then, as per his convenience, either today or tomorrow, as and when he is convinced, we will take it up and also have the views of one or two Assam Members,” he said. The Trinamool Congress members objected to this and stormed to the well.

The Trinamool Congress has decided to move a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha against the alleged detention of its MPs in Silchar in Assam on Thursday.

Party MP Saugata Roy raised the matter in the Lok Sabha and questioned the Assam government’s decision to stop Trinamool Congress members from visiting Silchar. “I said I will raise the privilege motion against the Assam government,” Roy said. O’Brien alleged that the delegation was stopped and beaten up. “They are not law-breakers but lawmakers,” O’Brien told reporters.

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