New Delhi: Rajya Sabha could not transact any significant business on Tuesday as opposition parties, including the Congress, disrupted proceedings demanding discussions on issues ranging from price rise to the Agnipath scheme.
The House had witnessed similar disruptions on Monday at the start of the Monsoon Session
Amid slogan-shouting by the opposition MPs, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar moved the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022.
The minister said there is a need to amend the WMD Act, 2005 to enact legal provisions relating to the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
The House witnessed vociferous protests from opposition MPs as it met in the morning, forcing the Chair to adjourn proceedings till 1400 hrs. Members of the Congress, the Left, and the AAP insisted on taking up discussions on the issues raised by them.
When the House re-assembled, Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked Jaishankar to move The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill.
In the meanwhile, the opposition parties again started sloganeering to press for their demand for discussion.
Amid the din, the Chair permitted Leader of Opposition and senior Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge to speak.
As Kharge tried to raise the matters flagged by the opposition parties since Monday in the House, Harivansh asked him to speak on the Bill saying MPs can only speak on the issues listed in the business schedule.
The Deputy Chairman then asked the external affairs minister to speak and the latter introduced the bill amid continued sloganeering by the opposition parties.
The Chair then adjourned the proceedings till Wednesday morning.
While speaking on the bill, Jaishankar said the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems Act, 2005 prohibits unlawful activities in respect of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.
In recent years, he said international regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction have been strengthened.
“In particular, the United Nations Security Council decisions and Financial Action Task Force recommendations have mandated provisions against financing in relation to weapons of mass destruction,” the minister said.
At present, he said there are no specific provisions in the WMD Act, 2005 relating to the prohibition or prevention of financing of prohibited WMD activities.
“Therefore, there is a need to amend the WMD Act, 2005 to enact legal provisions relating to the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems,” he said.
The Bill has already been passed by Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha adjourned amid opposition protest over price rise
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Tuesday amid protests by opposition members over imposition of GST on some new items and on price rise issue.
As soon as the House reassembled at 2 pm, opposition members belonging to the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK and others came to the well of the House carrying placards to protest against price rise and imposition of the GST on some new items.
After laying of papers by the members, Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, who was on the chair adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier in the day, the House was adjourned at 11 am on similar issue by Speaker Om Birla.
The opposition members raised slogans against the Modi government over the issue of price rise. One of the placards read “Gabbar Singh Strikes Again”.
Birla had appealed to the opposition members to go to their seats and said carrying of placards inside the House is against Parliamentary Rules.
He had said since the House is discussing farmers’ issue, the members should participate in it.
“You carry rules book but don’t follow rules. The rules prohibit carrying placards here but you are carrying them. You raise farmers issue outside the House but not inside.
“You raise the issue of price rise outside the House but not inside. In the last session, you did not participate in the debate on price rise. This is not good,” Birla had said before adjourning the House till 2 pm.
