The Rajya Sabha witnessed unprecedented scenes during the passage of the farm bills as members from Opposition parties snatched and threw papers from the table and even broke the chairman’s mic.
STAFF REPORTER
As many as 12 Opposition parties today moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh over the manner in which two contentious farm Bills were passed in the Upper House after he overruled their pleas for an adjournment of the proceedings.
The parties that have submitted the notice include Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPM, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, DMK, and the Aam Aadmi Party.
The Bills, which seek to replace the two ordinances promulgated on June 5 this year and which were already cleared by the Lok Sabha, were passed by voice vote in the Upper House amid ruckus by opposition leaders.
“Our demand for adjourning the House and division of votes was disallowed,” Congress leader Ahmed Patel told reporters outside Parliament. “He (Harivansh) should safeguard the democratic traditions but instead, his attitude today harmed the democratic traditions and processes. So, we have decided to move a no-confidence motion against him.”
The protesting members also sat in Rajya Sabha after the House was adjourned following the passage of the Bills.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien accused the government of “murdering” the Parliamentary system and democracy.
“They cheated. They broke every rule in Parliament. It was a historic day. In the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldn’t see. They censored RSTV. Don’t spread propaganda,” O’Brien said in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha witnessed unruly scenes during the passage of the farm bills as members from Opposition parties snatched and threw papers from the table and even broke the chairman’s mic.
JD(U) leader Harivansh was re-elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Upper House on September 14, the first day of the ongoing Monsoon Session.