The Winter Session of Lok Sabha began on a stormy note Monday, with protests by the Congress and other Opposition members over various issues. While Parliament is a place to express views and debate problems, parties must understand that the proceedings are not supposed to get disturbed due to their acts. They should always put people first, not politics, when it comes to Parliament and public service. On Monday, the very first day of the session, within minutes of commencement of the Question Hour, around 30 members from the Congress trooped into the Well, shouting slogans and demanding that the government stop attacking the Opposition as well as foisting false cases.
The members along with those from the National Conference also raised the issue of detention of former J-K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. Members of the Shiv Sena, one of the oldest allies of the BJP which has snapped its ties with the ruling party, also raised slogans and demanded relief for farmers. Later, they walked out of the House. DMK members were also seen standing at their seats. Speaker Om Birla told agitating members that they would be given an opportunity to raise issues within rules after the Question Hour. “I am ready to discuss all issues. Please go to your seats… This House is not for sloganeering but for debates and discussions,” Birla said. Despite the ruckus, seven questions and related supplementaries were taken up during the Question Hour.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi sought to pacify protesting members, saying the government was ready for any discussion. “Let the Speaker decide and (there can be) discussion under rules,”Joshi said and stressed amid vociferous protests that Question Hour is the right of every member. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said in Rajya Sabha that people’s hearts can be won by political parties even without rushing to the Well of the House to register their protest on various issues. Speaking in the House during a special discussion marking 250 sessions of Rajya Sabha, he said the Nationalist Congress Party and the Biju Janata Dal have wonderfully adhered to Parliamentary norms by not entering the Well of the House. “Yet they have made their points effectively. Much can be learnt from this … people’s hearts can be won even without rushing to the Well,” he said. Other parties should follow NCP and BJD in Parliament.