NEW DELHI: Protests by opposition members who were pressing for discussions on allegations of irregularities against the Adani Group, Sambhal violence and other issues rocked Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with the House adjourned for the day without transacting any substantial business.
The trouble started after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected 18 notices under a rule of the House to suspend scheduled business to take up issues including the demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue.
The proceedings were briefly adjourned due to opposition protest and when the House re-assembled at 11.30 AM, there were identical scenes. This prompted Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to adjourn the proceedings for the day, saying the “House is not in order”.
The notices related to the demand for the “constitution of a JPC to investigate the alleged misconduct, including corruption, bribery, financial irregularities of the Adani Group in connivance with other authorities”, violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and “rising” incidents of crime in the national capital.
“Upper House needs to reflect and follow well-established traditions that ruling of the Chair requires reference and not cause differences. I have, in detail, given reasons why, in these situations, notices are not being accepted,” Dhankhar said while rejecting the notices under Rule 267 of the House.
The Chairman also said that for the last 30 years, the House has reflected a consensual approach with reference to Rule 267 every time.
“As I have reiterated on several occasions, I thought it wise to bestow focused attention given the situation that we are entering the last quarter of the century of adoption of the Constitution of India,” he said.
He emphasised that the House needs to reflect and follow well-established traditions that a ruling of the Chair requires “deference and not (be a) cause of differences”.
While rejecting the notices, Dhankhar also stressed that there will be occasions to raise these issues in accordance with rules.
Earlier, the Chairman extended birthday greetings to Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, Wanweiroy Kharlukhi and Dharmshila Gupta, all Members of Rajya Sabha.
On Monday also, the first day of the Winter Session, the Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day during the morning session itself as the opposition insisted on raising the issues related to the Adani Group.
There was no sitting of the House on Tuesday.
The Adani Group had denied allegations of irregularities. It said on Wednesday that Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar have not been charged with any violation of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the indictment that authorities filed in the New York court in an alleged bribery case.
