Parliament Winter Session Day 4: Both Houses adjourned after SC's Rafale verdict; BJP demands apology from Rahul Gandhi

After the Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal, wherein a three-judge bench gave a clean chit to the deal, BJP members created a ruckus in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha forcing the Houses to adjourn for the day. The government demanded an apology from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for alleged lies on the issue. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned on as both the Opposition Congress and ruling BJP staged noisy protests in the House on the Rafale jet deal issue. Amid huge uproar, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was heard saying that the Opposition has been demanding a debate on the jet deal and so the question hour should be suspended to take up the issue. While members of the Congress trooped into the Well of the House seeking constitution of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale deal, most BJP members sought an apology from Rahul. [caption id=“attachment_4932881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] As the uproar continued, Deputy Chairman Harivansh first adjourned the House till 11.30 am and then later for the day. The Supreme Court on Friday gave a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. The apex court said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar Rafale deal. No sooner than the House assembled for Zero Hour did members of the Samajwadi Party raise slogans relating to the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahar district while AIADMK members trooped into the well over the Cauvery river water issue. Unlike other days, there was uproar in the House even when ministers were laying listed paper on the table of the House. Similarly, in the Lok Sabha, the treasury benches mounted a counter-offensive on the opposition on the Rafale issue in Lok Sabha after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the deal. As soon as Question Hour was taken up, opposition members trooped into the Well carrying placards on various issues, including an alleged scam in the Rafale deal. But BJP members stood up and started raising slogans against the Congress and Rahul. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said following the Supreme Court verdict, Rahul Gandhi should apologise. Amid loud sloganeering, around 11.10 am, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House till noon. With inputs from PTI