New Delhi, April 7
The Budget session of Parliament resumed today, after three week of recess, amidst noisy scenes on the Iraq issue and both the Houses had to be adjourned several times during the day without transacting any business.
While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for five times during the day, the Lok Sabha was adjourned twice by the Speaker to enable an all-party meeting to discuss the Iraq issue in order to evolve a united stand on the matter.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day as agitated opposition members pressed for a resolution to be adopted by the House condemning the US aggression in Iraq while the government failed to arrive at a consensus on the text of the resolution.
Deputy Chairman Najma Heptullah adjourned the House till tomorrow as discussions to resolve the issue were still on in the Lok Sabha. She said the same resolution was to be passed by both the Houses and the meeting in the Lok Sabha would finally decide its draft.
While the Opposition is demanding a discussion on the Iraq issue and a resolution strongly condemning the US aggression, the Treasury Bench, which is ready to discuss the issue, was non-committal on the resolution.
Leader of the Upper House and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh said the government was prepared to discuss the issue but a resolution could only be thought about, subject to the course of the discussion. He also wanted members to wait for a suo motu statement on the Iraq crisis by External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.
In the Rajya Sabha, the Congress-led Opposition rose in one voice demanding that the government move a resolution condemning the US attack on Iraq. It forced the House to be adjourned twice, the second time till after lunch, demanding a resolution from the government.
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition demanded the suspension of the question hour to take up a discussion on an adjournment motion on the American aggression.
Speaker Manohar Joshi did not suspend the question hour, but arguments by the Opposition on the need to take up the Iraq issue and the treasury benches’ objection to the move took up the whole of question hour and even beyond.
The government “is thinking” of getting a resolution passed in the House on the Iraq issue and maintained that “there is no direct responsibility of the government for the events” in Iraq, the Speaker ruled.
Pressing for the acceptance of an adjournment motion, Congress Chief Whip Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said the government was shying away from taking a firm stand on the Iraq war.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the US aggression would not remain confined to Iraq and the day was not far off when it would attack India to and openly support Pakistan.
CPM leader Mr Somnath Chatterjee and Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) condemned the government for adopting a middle path which he described as a ploy to soft-pedal the US hegemony.
In the Rajya Sabha as soon as the House assembled several Opposition members, including Mr K Natwar Singh (Congress) and Mr Nilotpal Basu (CPM), were on their feet demanding the suspension of the question hour to discuss the Iraq issue.
However, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh’s statement did not pacify the unrelenting Opposition, forcing Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to adjourn the House for one hour.
When the House reassembled after the hour-long adjournment, Deputy Chairman Najma Heptulla informed the members that the Business Advisory Committee was debating whether a discussion on Iraq was sufficient or it must be followed by a resolution. She said since the matter was yet to be sorted out, she was adjourning the House till 2 pm.
