New Delhi: With deadlock over demonetisation persisting in the Winter Session which ends in two days, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday said protests and discussion cannot happen simultaneously and she was pained to see that the House was not being allowed to function.
“I have to run the House and keep trying (for that). You must have seen I said that if all members sit quietly, I will allow (them to speak).
“Both the things cannot happen simultaneously that you stand in the Well of the House and also seek time to speak,” she said.
“When the House does not run, I am really pained. Parliament is (meant) for discussion,” Mahajan said.
The Winter Session of Parliament resumed on Wednesday after a four-day hiatus. It has seen little transaction of any substantial business due to ruckus over demonetisation and other issues.
Since the session began on November 16, the Lok Sabha has managed to conduct only two legislative actions, passage of Income Tax Amendment Bill and approval of Supplementary Demand for Grants, that too amid din and without much debate.
The Rajya Sabha functioned normally only on the first day of the session when the debate on demonetisation was initiated and held for about 5 hours.
PTI