Parliament proceedings paralysed for 12th day

New Delhi: Parliament proceedings were paralysed for the 12th straight day on Tuesday due to the ruckus created by parties from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, even as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj informed both the Houses of the death of 39 missing Indians in Iraq. Due to the pandemonium, the notices of no-confidence motion against the government could not be taken up for the third day on Tuesday.

The Lok Sabha was first adjourned till noon and then for the day due to the ruckus created by several protesting parties, leading Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to announce that she was unable to take up the no-confidence motion as there was no order in the House. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day within about 30 minutes soon after Ms Swaraj made a suo motu statement on the Indians killed in Iraq. After Ms Swaraj made the statement, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu termed it as “a very sad news,” following which members in the Upper House stood in silence to mourn the dead.

The Speaker said the House was not in order and hence she cannot verify whether the members who have given the notices can go ahead with moving the motion. Amid slogan shouting by members from various parties, the House was adjourned for the day with Mahajan terming the scenes as “unfortunate.”

A bill to ban unregulated chit fund schemes was also moved for introduction amid disruptions.

Meanwhile, a group of Opposition parties on Tuesday said the government was not keen on ensuring smooth functioning of Parliament and had not made any efforts to end the ongoing impasse, with the Congress alleging a “conspiracy” behind it aimed at avoiding discussion on crucial issues, including bank scams.

Leaders of 10 Opposition parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday and discussed the matter. They alleged that the government was not interested in running Parliament and wanted to “bypass” legislative scrutiny.