Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned soon after the session began on Wednesday as a result of continued protests over granting special status to Andhra Pradesh, the constitution of the Cauvery management board, vandalising of statues in Tripura and Tamil Nadu, and the Punjab National Bank scam.
The Lok Sabha was first adjourned till noon and then for the rest of the day, while the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after proceedings resumed at 2 pm. Dravida Munetra Kazhagam leaders protested outside Parliament, demanding that the Centre immediately set up the Cauvery Management Board.
Meanwhile, the Congress continued to protest in Parliament for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply on the Rs 12,703-crore Punjab National Bank fraud allegedly involving businessman Nirav Modi.
A meeting that Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan convened for smooth functioning of the House remained inconclusive with the opposition insisting on its demand for an adjournment motion to discuss the PNB scam, PTI reported.
Protests by Opposition leaders have disrupted the session since Monday, when both Houses reconvened after a month-long break. The first half of the Budget Session, which ended on February 9, was also marred by similar frequent adjournments.
At the time, the protests were mainly by Telugu Desam Party leaders who were upset with the fund allocations in the Union Budget 2018-’19 for the state and demanded a special status category for Andhra Pradesh.
In the month that followed, the Punjab National Bank revealed a Rs 12,703-crore scam involving businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Over the past two days, other Opposition members have also been protesting, demanding an answer from the government about how “perpetrators of frauds were allowed to flee the country”.
On Tuesday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi backed the demands of leaders from Andhra Pradesh, and said the government should pay the state its due at once.
Rajya Sabha elections
Samajwadi Party on Wednesday selected its leader Jaya Bachchan as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming elections to the Upper House. Bachchan was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2004 and was re-elected in 2002. She was elected for a third term in 2012 and her term comes to an end on April 3.
“Jaya Bachchan was consistently loyal to the Samajwadi Party, its system and its hierarchy,” Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh said. “She has proved to be a better politician than Naresh Agarwal.”
The biennial elections will be held on March 23 to replace the 58 Rajya Sabha members who are set to retire later this year.
Ten seats from Uttar Pradesh will be up for elections soon. Nine seats will fall vacant in the Rajya Sabha in April 2018. Besides, one seat has been lying vacant since Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati resigned in July 2017.
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