Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 11: Both Houses of Parliament were on Friday adjourned sine die after adopting several bills, most of them in the absence of the opposition even as the Rajya Sabha suspended the Aam Aadmi Party member Raghav Chadha and extended the suspension of another AAP member Sanjay Singh for alleged misconduct in the House.
The Opposition, once again, did not attend the proceedings of the House in the second half of the day. The Upper House also voted to return the Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Integrated Good and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, without any debate or discussion.
Early morning proceedings in the Upper House were comparatively peaceful. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal congratulated Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for completing one year as the Vice President of India. Members congratulated MPs retiring soon, but chaos started after BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena attempted to raise a Point of Order related to law and order in Rajasthan.
The Lok Sabha kicked off proceedings at 11 am, only to adjourn within a minute as Opposition murmurs filled the House. After proceedings resumed, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Integrated Good and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as sloganeering continued. Home Minister Amit Shah also introduced bills to replace the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act and briefly addressed the House.
During this time, the Opposition was absent, having walked out earlier in protests. Both GST Bills were passed in quick succession, without any debate. After a brief review of the session’s achievements, the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die.
In the post-lunch session, the government amidst strong opposition protests quickly introduced in the Rajya Sabha the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and terms of office) Bill, 2023, and the Post Office Bill, 2023. It also passed the Pharmacy Amendment Bill, 2023, before adjourning for the day as sloganeering continued.
The leader of the Upper House Piyush Goyal had moved a motion for the suspension of the AAP member Raghav Chadha till the privileges committee submits its findings and was adopted by the House. In his first reaction after his suspension, Chadha introduced himself as “suspended Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha” and clarified that he had not forged any signatures.
Clarifying the “forgery” allegation against him, the AAP leader said he had not forged or taken any signatures from any MPs. “People from the BJP are saying I submitted some MPs’ signatures. I want to tell you the truth. Any parliamentarian has the right to nominate names for a committee. This means that I can propose names for a select committee. I don’t need an MP’s written consent or signature to do so. You just have to give the names. If any MP has an objection, they can withdraw their name. We have not submitted any signatures,” Chadha said.
“The allegation is just a way for them to throw mud at me and tarnish my reputation. I want to tell you I am not afraid of these challenges, I will keep fighting,” the suspended MP said. Chadha was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for “breach of privilege” after four MPs alleged that he had violated rules by naming them in a House panel without their consent.
DMK leader in Lok Sabha TR Baalu wrote to Speaker Om Birla to relook his decision to suspend the leader of the opposition and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for allegedly insulting the prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Chowdhury was suspended for misconduct, after he interrupted Modi during his reply to the no-trust motion against the government in the Lok Sabha. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi moved that the “gross, deliberate and repeated misconduct” of Chowdhury be referred to its Privileges Committee for examination. Later the Members of the Opposition INDIA alliance took out a march in Parliament precinct protesting the suspension of Chowdhury.
Congress president and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Chowdhury was suspended on flimsy grounds as he had only said “Nirav Modi” and Nirav means “shaant” (quiet in Hindi). Chowdhury later told reporters that he had not meant to insult Modi. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I have not said anything wrong,” he said.
“Modi ji is sitting ‘nirav’ on Manipur issue, which means sitting silent. ‘Nirav’ means to be silent. My intention was not to insult PM Modi,” he said. “PM Modi did not feel that he was insulted, his darbaris (courtiers) felt so and brought this proposal against me. I came to know that (the matter) has been referred to the privileges committee and I have been suspended till then,” he said. Because of the suspension, Chowdhury will be deprived of various Parliamentary committees he is part of.
“…He has been suspended on a flimsy ground… I am pleading with the vice president and the Chairman of the House that you have to protect the democracy as he (Adhir) is in the public accounts committee, business advisory committee too and the CBC selection. He has been deprived of all these institutions and if he is suspended, it’s not good,” Kharge said.
