NEW DELHI: Signs of an imminent washout of Parliament’s Winter session over demonetisation issue were visible on the penultimate day today with government and the opposition trading charges and BJP adding fuel to the fire by bringing the Gandhi family under attack in the AgustaWestland case.
Despite TMC’s Sudip Bandhopadhyay and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge making it clear that the opposition wanted a debate even without voting or under any rule, there were counter-attacks from the BJP side, leading to continued heated exchanges in the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, accusing it of scuttling debate from the day the session began on November 16.
Charging the Opposition with attempting to fail the note ban move, he said Congress was trying to “manage currency” (note jugaad) post-demonetisation when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a vigorous campaign against black money.
Kumar referred to the VVIP chopper scam issue, saying the “master middleman” Christian Michel has named “the first family of the UPA” and, therefore, Congress is running away from debate.
He said there should also be a discussion on the VVIP chopper scam.
This led to furious Congress members again storming the Well raising slogans denouncing the Modi government.
TRS member A P Jeethendar Reddy’s remarks targetting a section of the Opposition for not allowing debate on the issue triggered a fresh uproar with Congress and TMC members protesting his statements.
Reddy said he should be allowed to speak as he has already initiated the debate a few days back when he, as also B Mahtab of BJD, had given notice on the issue under Rule 193 that does not entail voting.
TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee was heard telling Reddy as to why he was sitting in the Opposition benches and not formally switching sides to become a minister. TMC and Congress members also took exception to Reddy’s remarks that all political parties have hailed note ban at an all-party meeting held before the start of the session.
At the outset, Kharge said his party wanted a debate as demonetisation has hit hard the common man but “Modi saheb is running away and is not coming to Parliament.”
Once again today, BJP veteran L K Advani vented his ire at frequent disruptions. As soon as the House was adjourned or the day, Advani told a group of MPs that “I feel like resigning”.
When the House assembled for the day, Lok Sabha
witnessed uproar as Opposition targeted the government on the demonetisation issue even as the ruling BJP members sought to pin down the Congress over alleged bribery in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, leading to adjournment of proceedings till noon.
Members from Opposition and Treasury benches resorted to high decibel sloganeering soon after the House condoled the death of two former members.
A belligerent Opposition, including members from the Congress, TMC and Left parties, raised slogans demanding discussion on the demonetisation issue.
Seeking to counter them, members from the Treasury benches were on their feet waving copies of a newspaper on reports that some people in the erstwhile UPA regime allegedly received money in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. (AGENCIES)
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