New Delhi: The issue of a privilege motion moved by the Congress against HRD Minister Smriti Irani and corruption charges against former home minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti rocked parliament on the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
Both Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chair expressed dismay over the disruptions in the proceedings of their houses.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan conducted the question hour and allowed MPs to raise issues for which they had given notices of privilege. This was done amid a din as opposition members created a ruckus in the house.
AIADMK members again raised the issue of Aircel-Maxis deal allegedly linked to former home and finance minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti, whereas Congress members asked the speaker to move its privilege motion notice against Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani.
Mahajan expressed disappointment over certain remarks made by agitating Congress members questioning her impartiality.
“This is not good, whatever you have done today. I am sorry to say but I am allowing you to speak with a heavy heart as you have troubled me a lot. Some members raised slogans against me,” she said.
Mahajan made these remarks when Congress members trooped near the speaker’s podium, asking her to move the party’s privilege motion notice against Irani. During the sloganeering, some Congress members accused her of “partisan” conduct.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu objected to the remarks. “You want to dictate; you want to question the speaker also; let us respect the speaker,” Naidu said.
The AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal members on their part accused the government and the main opposition party Congress of “match-fixing” on the Aircel-Maxis issue and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha as AIADMK members raised the issue of alleged investments made by Chidambaram’s son Karti, while the Congress members referred to another newspaper report about Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel’s daughter who was allegedly given government land at around 92 percent concessional rate.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi demanded that the mention of the Gujarat case be expunged from house proceedings.
Amid the ruckus, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien first adjourned the house for 10 minutes and then till noon.
Later in the day, both the houses, however, took up discussion on the motion of thanks on the presidential address.
IANS