Govt-Opp lock horns in LS, House adjourned, Opp swalks out of RS

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday amid a stand-off between the government and the opposition over Rahul Gandhi’s demand that he be allowed to speak before the discussion on the Union Budget begins. When the House met at 2 pm after two adjournments, Sandhya Ray, who was in the Chair, asked Congress member Shashi Tharoor to initiate the debate on the Budget. Tharoor told the Chair that Gandhi, being the Leader of Opposition (LoP), should be allowed to raise certain points before he starts his speech. Ray said she had no issues if Gandhi wanted to speak on the Budget and asked him to begin. Gandhi said at a meeting between Speaker Om Birla and some opposition MPs, an agreement was reached that he would be allowed to raise certain points before the Budget discussion, but the Chair was now reneging on its word. Ray said she was not aware of any such agreement and that she could not allow anyone to raise any issue without notice. At this point, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju intervened, saying there was no such agreement and if the LoP wanted to say something about the Speaker, then Birla should also be present in the House to respond. Rijiju also said other members of the House would also speak on the subject and there would be a broader discussion.