'The Chair is helpless': Day 2 of Parliament session was a complete washout

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj must be laughing her way to the bank today. On Wednesday morning, when Swaraj warned the Opposition that she would reveal the name of the Congress leader who pressurized her to issue a diplomatic passport to Coalgate accused Santosh Bargodia, everyone was looking forward to an exciting day in the Parliament. But what followed was a complete washout of both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. as  Opposition parties led by the Congress created a ruckus  over the Lalit Modi issue, forcing repeated adjournments of the house.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien, after several disruptions, finally gave up and adjourned the Parliament for the day. Kurien said, “The Chair is helpless.” Here are five key takeaways from the second day of the Monsoon Session which was a complete washout.

Sushma Swaraj’s big reveal in Parliament on Congress leader

• External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who is under fire from Opposition for helping Lalit Modi in getting travel documents, tweeted in the morning saying:

A senior Congress leader was pressing me hard to give diplomatic passport to the Coal Scam accused Santosh Bagrodia.@ANI_news

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 22, 2015

The minister’s tweet generated instant uproar from the Congress quarters. However, Swaraj did not disclose the name of the Congress leader, saying she would do so in Parliament. Bagrodia, who is a former minister of state for Coal, was on Tuesday summoned as accused by a Special Court in a coal scam case pertaining to allocation of Maharashtra’s Bander coal block to AMR Iron and Steel Pvt. As soon as the house assembled for the day, the opposition shouted slogans against the NDA government on the Lalit Modi issue and the Vyapam recruitment scam in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

• Congress postpones silent protest
• Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, along with party workers, had planned a silent protest outside the Parliament demanding resignation of Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Sushma Swaraj over Vyapam scam and Lalit Modi controversy. Interestingly, suddenly the Congress leadership cancelled the planned protest and said that the protest will happen with an United Opposition.

Congress protest in the Parliament postponed.

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2015

BJP reacted to the sudden cancellation of protests and said that Swaraj’s tweet had the Congress worried. Speaking to NDTV party president Sonia Gandhi said, “Let them say what they want we will continue to protest.”

Opposition troop to the speaker’s podium wearing black bands and carrying placards

• At one point of time, amid several disruption, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan warned the members of strict disciplinary action. Congress MPs trooped into Parliament wearing black bands. Lok Sabha was repeatedly disrupted over Lalit Modi controversy on the first working day of the Monsoon session with Opposition members storming the Well with placards, ignoring Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s warning of action. Members of Congress and Left protested vociferously demanding ouster of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in connection with the row involving Lalit Modi, former IPL chairman.Members of the RJD and NCP were also seen supporting the opposition demand.The placards, carried by Congress members, read ‘Bade Modi meherban, to chhote Modi pehelwan’ (a Hindi idiom meaning that a small person is strong if supported by a powerful person) and ‘PM chuppi todo’ (PM, break your silence), Modi ji 56 inch dikhao, Sushma, Raje ko turant hatao (Show your 56 inch chest by removing Swaraj and Raje).

There are charges against ministers & leaders of 7 Cong ruled states, are they going to resign?: Venkaiah Naidu pic.twitter.com/q35X89BDvL

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2015

Kyon nai kartiin hain? usii time khulasa kartii....sab miley hue hain: Ram Jethmalani on Sushma Swaraj's tweet pic.twitter.com/m0vYTpBv51

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2015

(on the PM's silence) R.Jethmalani: Ab Modi toh PM hain, mai unko kya keh sakta hoon, mai to BJP sey expelled hoon pic.twitter.com/97GFtDMecz

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2015

• Jaitley’s statement in the Rajya Sabha: “Government is ready for discussion in any format, at any time. We get a distinct and clear impression that opposition wants disturbance, they don’t want a discussion. Opposition is weak on arguments but strong on disturbance. We are hopeful that Congress will reconsider its “irresponsible” stand on GST, it is dissent against its own bill and chief ministers,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the media.Arun Jaitley defended Swaraj in Rajya Sabha asking Opposition to point out one provision of the law which she has violated in allegedly trying to help former IPL commissioner. Mayawati (BSP) attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the episode had exposed those who had claimed that “na khaoonga, na khane doonga” (I will neither take bribe nor will I allow anyone to take it).Jaitley said the Vyapam issue was “squarely a state issue” and if the Opposition wanted to change rule to “discuss state issues and set up new precedents”, then issues ranging from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Goa should also be discussed. “So we will be fair to all states,” he said. “If they want to discuss the issue relating to Sushma Swaraj, please start the discussion right now,” he said.

  Sharad Yadav justifies demand for Sushma’s resignation

• The Upper House of Parliament began again with JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav attempting to justify the demand for Sushma Swaraj’s resignation. He pointed out that he’d resigned when allegations of a hawala scandal were levelled against him. He got rapped by Arun Jaitley who told him to place his issue clearly before the Deputy Chairman. As the debate descended into chaos, Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned proceedings till 2 pm.