TIA NEWS /
The Congress party today forced the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha for the day amidst uproarious scenes on the Lalit Modi controversy. The House witnessed two adjournments in its pre-lunch session on the same issue. When it met again at 2 PM, Madhusudan Mistry of the Congress demanded that the submission made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the House about her role in the Lalit Modi controversy be expunged from the proceedings.
Mr Mistry said neither the Chair had permitted her nor had she given notice. Responding to this, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said the Minister has the right to respond to unsubstantiated allegations made against her for the last two weeks. Deputy Chairman Prof. P J Kurien asked whether the opposition members have taken prior permission of the Chair to carry placards and raise slogans in the House.
Anand Sharma of the Congress asked the Chair to direct the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to issue an advisory to the media stating that Mrs. Swaraj did not make any statement in the House. Mr Jaitley however opposed the suggestion for imposing censorship on the media. The Deputy Chairman made it clear that it is the right of a Minister or a member to react to the allegations made against her.
He also made it clear that the Minister has neither given any notice to make a statement nor gave a copy of her statement to the Chair. The House witnessed arguments over the procedural wrangles on various issues taken up by the members. As the uproar continued, Prof. Kurien adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier in her submission, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj denied having helped Lalit Modi to travel abroad and described the opposition allegations as baseless and untrue. She made her submission amid noisy protests from congress members, who trooped into the well of the House.
Mrs Swaraj said she had never requested the British government for arranging travel documents to Lalit Modi. She alleged that she was not allowed to make a statement in this regard in the House for the last two weeks.