Oppn exposed, For QUOTA politics, they forget Pegasus !! Bad day for Parl: Congress MP throws files at RS Chair, Lok Sabha passes OBC Bill

Bad day for Indian Parl: Congress MP throws files at RS Chair, Lok Sabha passes OBC Bill though

New Delhi: 

It was a bad day for Indian Parliament on August 10, Tuesday as opposition members trooped over the Reporter's Table and hurled papers towards the chair while some others clapped and danced around the table and trooped into the well.

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Congress member Bajwa threw a file towards the chair menacingly while some opposition members from other parties sought to justify the manner of protest.

"Yeh log Natak kar rahen haen (The government is enacting a drama)," said AAP member Sanjay Singh outside Parliament premises, Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O' Brien said, -

"Nobody wants to discuss farms laws in general. What we demanded was a discussion on a specific point of withdrawal of the three laws". 

NCP lawmaker, Majeed Memon tweeted: Unruly behaviour of opposition MPs  in Rajya Sabha for farmers may not be desirable but there seems no other way to wake up sleeping government to consider agitating farmers’ grievances". 

From the government side, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi lashed out at the opposition parties.

Other BJP members such as Sushil Modi and Alphons ZZ also critcised the opposition. "As a member of the House, I feel ashamed," said Alphons. 

Sushil Modi, a former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister said, "While I have seen such unruly behaviour in state legislatures, this was not expected in Parliament and in the House elders. The House will certainly take actions against these members".  

Proving for once that political motivation is their primary guiding force and not the commitment and principles, the opposition parties led by Congress on Tuesday, Aug 10, gave up their unreasonable stance and allowed smooth transaction of business in Lok Sabha.

It was a master stroke by the government for bringing the Bill at this juncture as it clearly showed the hollowness in the claims over the Pegasus row.

The occasion was considering and passing of the Constitution Amendment (127th) Bill, 2021 on OBC quota.

The real polity was on display when BSP fielded a Brahmin lawmaker Ritesh Pandey, who however said the government move is to hoodwink the people on the eve of elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Several opposition members participated and the House proceedings were  so smooth that RSP member N K Premachandran on the chair did not have quite a tough time in the running of the House though the debates were marred by occasional one-upmanship among members.

The entire Monsoon Session of Parliament since July 19 has been sabotaged following sloganeering and pandemonium over the issue of Pegasus row.

The government has clarified more than once that the controversial software has nothing to do with the lives of Indians.

From the ruling side Bhupender Yadav (Labour and Employment Minister) said it is a vital draft law and states would get the requisite power to draw out respective OBC lists. “This Bill fulfils the primary goal of the founding fathers of our constitution,” he said.

“Let us all unite to pass this Bill, so that both centre and the states can do justice to smaller communities at every level,” the Labour Minister said. 

On behalf of Samajwadi Party, a key stakeholder in UP politics, party chief and former Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav made the opportune use to project his party’s ‘commitment’ towards public and OBC community welfare.

Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks without doubt were mostly political and trying to find faults with the BJP-led dispensation. He insisted that there should be a caste-based census. 

Among others Congress member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Vinayak Raut of Shiv Sena, DMK leader T R Baalu and Sudip Bandyopadhyay of Trinamool Congress participated in the debate.

The Trinamool floor leader took up the issue of federal structure of Indian constitution – again a pet project of his party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Trinamool also fielded a second speaker Kalyan Banerjee to speak on the Bill.

 Sanjay Jaiswal of BJP ridiculed Congress party’s big claims on social justice and maintained the country is very well aware of the intent of those who had conspired to ensure defeat of B R Ambedkar in elections.

He also said it was the Congress which had for many years had kept the Mandal Commission report on cold storage. 

From LJP, which underwent split recently, Prince Raj Paswan representing Samastipur reserved constituency took the floor. He also said for long the Mandal Commission report had only gathered dust and it was the V P Singh which took it up in all sincerity.

The passage of this Bill would set the stage for reservation for various key and influential communities in different states.

“After this Bill is passed, respective state governments will get power to ensure Quota for Marathas in Maharashtra, Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Haryana and Lingayats in Karnataka,” the LJP lawmaker said.