New Delhi, August 7
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day today in the
post-lunch session as both opposition and treasury benches traded
charges over the leakage of the Pathak report even as indicted Natwar
Singh sought to raise breach of privilege notice against Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha.
Proceedings were paralysed in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha where Congress President Sonia Gandhi was the target of the opposition attack. The Prime Minister was not present in either House.
In the Rajya Sabha, besides Mr Natwar Singh, members from the BJP, Samajwadi Party, TDP and AIADMK gave notices for the breach of privilege while in the Lok Sabha it was the BJP, JD(U) and SP.
Slogan shouting between the opposition and the Treasury bench members reigned supreme in the Rajya Sabha where Mr Natwar Singh made repeated attempts to have his say on the issue.
As Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj rose to know the fate of the privilege motion moved by the BJP, Congress members sought to know the fate of their notice of breach of privilege against Leader of Opposition Jaswant Singh on the mole issue.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat observed that the notices of breach of privilege against the Prime Minister and Mr Jaswant Singh were under his consideration and he would give his ruling after examining them.
But the opposition members continued to raise slogan like “Congress ka pol kholne do; Natwar ko bolne do (Let Natwar Speak and expose Congress),” and stormed into the well.
They were countered by Congress members who wanted to know the fate of their notice.
Amid the din, the Chairman said he could not give permission to anybody to speak on the privilege motions until he decided on their admissibility. As the opposition and treasury bench members continued to disrupt the proceedings, Mr Shekhawat adjourned the House for the day.
In the Lok Sabha, too, the opposition forced the adjournment till tomorrow.
As soon as the Lok Sabha
assembled, the opposition raised the issue and wanted to know the fate of the privilege motion moved against the Prime Minister. As members traded charges and there was pandemonium, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the House till lunch hour.As soon as the Lok Sabha re-assembled in the post-lunch session after the first adjournment of the day, BJP leader V.K. Malhotra raised the issue again. He said the government must find out how the report was leaked. He also said the report and the action taken report had many discrepancies.
As the opposition pressed to know the Chair’s ruling on the motion, the Speaker said he had received the notices and would take a decision in two or three days.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.R. Dasmunsi said the government had no objection to allow discussion under any rule.
Mr Prabhu Nath Singh (JD-u) said the most important issue was how the report leaked as the Finance Minister had announced that they had received only one copy which was handed over to the Prime Minister. It only indicated that the report had been leaked out from the PMO and it must have been by the PM, he alleged. This led to a verbal duel between the Treasury and opposition benches.
Amid slogan shouting, the Speaker went on with the day’s agenda, infuriating the opposition, including the BJP, SAD and JD (U), which stormed the well of the House.
The Speaker ensured that the House passed a finance-related Bill before adjourning the Lower House for the day.
