M A I N   N E W S

Oppn slams price rise @ Rs 2 crore a day!
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 29
The paradox is only getting starker. As the Opposition paralysed Parliament for the third consecutive day today insisting that discussions on price rise be held under rules that entail voting, losses to the exchequer due to disruptions continued to mount.

Conservative estimates suggest that it costs the Nation Rs 37,000 a minute to run the Houses, Rs 22 lakh an hour or a whopping Rs 1.7 crore a day! And, these estimates are old and based on the 2003-2004 Parliament budget of Rs 437 crore.

Lok Sabha sources said that the losses would be many times more now. Sample this: The cost per MP to the exchequer was Rs 1.58 lakh in the 1980s but Rs 55 lakh in 2003. The current figure is anybody’s guess.

But that mattered little to Opposition MPs in both houses with the BJP, SP and BSP stalling proceedings. In the Lok Sabha, as soon as the House met, Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj said that the members were pained by the Speaker’s ruling disallowing discussions on price rise under an adjournment motion.

Today, the Opposition moved notices to discuss the issue under Rule 184, which allows voting, with the Speaker saying she would apply her mind to the request. With the Speaker admitting that a way out had to be found to run the House, a ruling on the new demand is expected tomorrow.

Back in the LS, Sushma said to the Chair: “Since you said you would allow notices under other forms but adjournment, we have moved the same for Rule 184. We demand that the same be allowed and discussions commenced immediately.” The government dug its heels in. Parliamentary Affairs Minister insisted on a discussion under Rule 193, which disallows vote. He said that since Trinamool Congress’ Sudeep Bandopadhyay’s notice for discussion under Rule 193 was the first, he be allowed to initiate the debate.

The Speaker was quick to order the first adjournment at 11 am and the second at noon when the government used the din and pushed the resolution ratifying President’s Rule in Jharkhand. As the BJP, SP and BSP MPs protested in the well raising anti-UPA slogans, the LS was adjourned for the day.