First the Opposition came out all guns blazing shouting the “murder of democracy” in the Rajya Sabha over the issue of the farm bills. A day later, the government released a video footage to puncture the Opposition’s charges.
The CCTV video footage released by the government shows Opposition MPs rushing to the well of the House, with some even trying to snatch papers from Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh, who was presiding over the proceedings at that time.
Among those seen jostling with the Rajya Sabha staff to get hold of the papers were Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. Both had to be physically stopped from reaching Harivansh.
Some others MPs could be seen in the video targeting the microphones on the deputy chairman’s
table while another MP tore up papers — possibly the farm bills — before throwing the pieces in
Harivansh’s direction.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha Chairperson M. Venkaiah Naidu, on Monday, condemned the unruly incidents and said the Deputy Chairperson was threatened. “If marshals had not been called on time what would have happened to the Deputy Chairman? I am worried,” he said, adding that the Deputy Chairman had stated that he was abused with objectionable words. He would have been harmed also, the Chairman added.
Naidu said some members were “climbing on the Secretary Generals’s table, dancing, shouting in the well, tearing papers, breaking the mikes, obstructing Deputy Chairman from his duties, throwing papers, rulebook at the Deputy Chairman… Are these parliamentary standards”, he asked and told the members to do some introspection.
The video footage was released after the Opposition MPs led by TMC’s Derek O’Brien alleged that Rajya Sabha proceedings were censored on Sunday. The TMC leader even posted videos on Twitter to substantiate his claim.
In a video posted on Twitter, Derek O’Brien said, “There are rules that we should not be shooting inside the Rajya Sabha We shot it… there are no rules left. Yes, the Opposition took videos (because) you tried to rewrite the rules of Parliament.”
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also posted a video showing him shouting slogans in front of the Chair. The video showed another MP, Rajeev Satav, of the Congress climbing onto the same table and shouting slogans.
Parliament has seen unruly scenes over the three farm bills. These bills are the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The first two have been passed by both the Houses of Parliament. The three
bills will replace the three Ordinances notified in June this year.
With agency inputs