New Delhi: Minutes after the Lok Sabha was reconvened following an earlier disruption till 12 p.m. on Wednesday, the House was again adjourned till 2 p.m. as the opposition ruckus over various issues, including the Rafale deal continued.
Soon after the House reassembled after the washout of the question hour and the zero hour, the Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near the Speaker’s podium and started sloganeering.
Amid the din, official papers were laid on the table of the House and Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to raise his demand.
Kharge demanded that the government should allow a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the deal with France for 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets.
“Serious apprehension of irregularities have appeared in the Rafale deal. The matter needs to be investigated and accountability needs to be fixed. That’s why we are demanding a JPC probe,” he said.
He said the Supreme Court has given its judgement based on a letter provided by the government.
“Kindly allow a JPC probe. Kindly ask the government to initiate a JPC probe into the matter,” Kharge said.
Responding to this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the government was ready for discussion on any issue, including the Rafale deal, but maintained silence over the demand for a JPC probe.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too, said the government was ready for any discussion on Rafale.
Communist Party of India-Marxist MP Mohammad Salim accused the government of lying in Supreme Court on the defence deal and supported the Congress’ demand for a JPC probe.
The Trinamool Congress’ Sudip Bandopadhyay said his party wants the House to run. He urged the Speaker to convene a meeting of the leaders to break the deadlock.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK members were protesting Karnataka’s proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu.
One of the AIADMK members tore a piece of paper and threw it in the air near the reporters table.
The TDP members continued to raise demands for special status for Andhra Pradesh.
As the din continued, Mahajan adjourned the house till 2 p.m.
Earlier, she adjourned the House during the Question Hour after her attempts to run lower House’s business failed with disruptions continuing.
[source_without_link]IANS[/source_without_link]