Parliament's Budget Session: Unruly scenes, disruptions over farm laws mar Day 3; both Houses adjourned till Monday

Day three of the second half of Parliament’s Budget Session yet again witnessed unruly scenes and repeated disruptions by Opposition members demanding the repeal of the three contentious farm laws. The Upper House has not transacted any official business since Monday. On Wednesday, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 15 March. Thursday is a holiday on the account of Mahashivratri. It is a norm that if any holiday falls on Thursday, then Friday is also declared a non-working day since it precedes the weekend. This is to enable parliamentarians to visit their constituencies. Here are some key highlights on how proceedings unfolded in both Houses of Parliament:

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha was adjourned multiple times on Wednesday after Opposition members disrupted proceedings over their demand for the repeal of the three farm laws. Opposition members started raising slogans as soon as the House convened for the day at 11 am. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, referred to a farmer taking his own life on the Delhi border. Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several Delhi border points , including Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, since 28 November, demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for their crops. Speaker Om Birla repeatedly asked the members to let the Question Hour proceedings function smoothly. But as slogans demanding a rollback of the farm laws continued, Question Hour lasted a little more than 30 minutes and the Speaker adjourned the House till 12.30 pm. As per India Today, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi tod the Lower House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would like to give a statement with regard to the ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ celebration marking 75 years of India’s independence. The celebration begins on 12 March and continues till 15 August. Joshi added that it was important that it is being done in a peaceful manner. All parties excerpt the Congress agreed to the prime minister making a statement and refused to relent, as per the report. Joshi then informed the House that the prime minister would not be making a statement due to “lack of consensus”. Modi is slated to launch “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav” from Gujarat on 12 March to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence. The prime minister will also flag off a 21-day long “Dandi March” from Sabarmati Ashram, which was home to Mahatma Gandhi during India’s freedom struggle, Parliament passes bill to regularise unauthorised Delhi colonies The Lok Sabha passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021, to regularise unauthorised colonies in Delhi, paving the way for the Bill to be sent to President  Ram Nath Kovind for approval. The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 9 February. Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri told the Lok Sabha that the Bill would give protection to unauthorised colonies from sealing till 31 December, 2023. Puri while replying to a debate on the Bill said the population of Delhi as per the 2011 census is 1.6 crore. “I expect the population of Delhi in 2021 census will be close to 2 crore if not higher,” Puri added. He said the “history of the problem of unauthorised colonies in the NCT of Delhi has been that prior to this, no government took up this issue with any degree of seriousness”. There are around 1,700 unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Lok Sabha members demand action over MP’s death Lok Sabha members demanded on Wednesday action against the Dadra and Nagar Haveli administrator over the death of MP Mohan Delkar . Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut said the administrators of the Union territory had made life “miserable” for Delkar. Delkar, 58, a seven-time MP from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was found dead in a hotel at the Marine Drive area of south Mumbai on 22 February. He had left a 15-page suicide note. “I demand suspension of the SP, collector and administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli,” Raut said. JD(U) MP Kaushalendra Kumar demanded that the administrator should be removed. “If a Member of the Parliament is not safe, then how will people feel safe?” Kumar asked. Mumbai Police has registered an FIR on the charge of abetment to suicide in connection with Delkar’s death, an officer said on Wednesday. After the House reconvened at 2.30 pm, BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav started speaking on the Demand for Grants for the Ministry of Railways, however, there was sloganeering by Opposition members who demanded the repeal of three farm laws. Meenakshi Lekhi, who was in the Chair, then adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha proceedings were halted twice on Wednesday before being adjourned for the day after the Congress and other Opposition party members created an uproar demanding a discussion on three new farm laws of the Centre. The proceedings were first adjourned till noon and then again till 2 pm after Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House raising slogans. The pleas by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and then by Deputy Chairman Harivansh went unheeded as the Opposition members continued to create a ruckus in the House. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved a Bill to amend the arbitration law that would ensure all stakeholders get a chance to seek an unconditional stay on enforcement of arbitral awards where an agreement is “induced by fraud or corruption”. The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was passed by voice vote. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 12 February. It will replace an ordinance issued on 4 November, 2020. This after Britain’s Cairn Energy in February filed cases in the US, the UK and the Netherlands courts to register a $1.4 billion arbitration award it had won in a tax dispute against India, as a preparatory action in case it is not paid by the Indian government. Cairn filed a petition in a Washington DC Federal court on 12 February, and followed it up with similar filings in the UK and the Netherlands courts, people with knowledge of the matter said. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Bill makes the provision to avoid payment of taxpayers’ money as an award in those cases where the agreement or contract is “induced by fraud or corruption”. He said, “Section 36 of the Act provides that the arbitration award would be set aside if it is against the public policy. The contracts or agreement induced with corruptions and frauds would be considered “against public policy”. “There was a provision under Sector 36 that there would not be direct stay (to the award) as somebody has to challenge that to get the stay (on award). Today we are saying that if an award is challenged and if prima facie the court finds that it is induced with fraud or corruption then the court would stay the award.” The minister further said, “I don’t understand why do they get agitated by the mention of corruption. Should such (arbitration) awards be given in India which are induced with corruption and where CBI inquiry is on? Such people by collusive agreement get the award through taxpayers money.” “We only want that there should be fair arbitration in India. Our only intention is that people should not loot taxpayers’ money through arbitration award,” he added. Immediately after the passage of the Bill, Deputy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the Rajya Sabha till Monday as Opposition parties continued raising slogans demanding discussion on the three Central farm laws. With inputs from PTI