New Delhi: The proceedings of both houses of parliament were adjourned multiple times on Thursday as the Opposition members continued their protests seeking a discussion and an independent judicial probe on the Pegasus issue. They also raised other demands including a discussion on the alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl in Delhi and the farmers' protests against the three farm laws.

Meanwhile, in spite of the protests, the Rajya Sabha passed at least three Bills. In the Lok Sabha, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced an important Bill, titled “The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021”, that seeks to withdraw the tax demands made using a 2012 retrospective legislation to tax the indirect transfer of Indian assets.

Suspension of TMC MPs evokes strong reaction

The Rajya Sabha – where the chairman Venkaiah Naidu had suspended six Trinamool Congress (TMC) members on Wednesday for carrying placards into the well of the House while protesting on the the Pegasus issue – witnessed a lot of angry scenes as a united Opposition protested against the decision.

Soon after the Upper House assembled at 11 am, a row broke out over the issue as it was alleged that a suspended TMC MP had broken the glass of a door of the chamber. Deputy chairman Harivansh, who was in the Chair, termed the act “highly deplorable and condemnable”.

He claimed the MP broke the glass of a door after she was stopped from entering the House after it was adjourned for the day on Wednesday. However, TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy contradicted the claim saying the MP concerned, who was suspended for the remainder of the sitting of the House on Wednesday, was prevented from fetching her bag after the proceedings were adjourned for the day.

The TMC and other opposition MPs opposed the remarks of the Chair. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge recalled how former finance minister Arun Jaitley had stated that disruption in parliament was part of the democratic norms.

Meanwhile, as Opposition members continued their protests over the Pegasus issue, the Chair adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes. Later, when the House reassembled, Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was also in the Chair, adjourned the proceedings till noon as the protests by the Opposition continued.

When the House reassembled at 12 noon, Kharge spoke about how one of the MPs who was asked to withdraw from the House on Wednesday was prevented from entering the chamber to collect her bag and other belongings.

Meanwhile, deputy leader of the Rajya Sabha and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accused the TMC MPs of trying to repeat Bengal violence in parliament. He insisted that TMC MP Arpita Ghosh had broken the glass pane of a wooden door of the Rajya Sabha. He also told news agency ANI that the TMC was conspiring to tarnish the parliament with their legacy of violence.

At noon, when the Rajya Sabha reassembled, deputy chairman Harivansh tried to continue with the question hour despite the din caused by Opposition members raising slogans and protesting in the well of the House. He finally adjourned the House till 2 pm.

Also read: Pegasus Findings: Former Top Cops Call For Relook at Case Against Elgar Parishad 16

Several important Bills passed

After lunch, the House passed several important Bills despite continued protests by the Opposition members.

It first passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to amend the constitutional list of Scheduled Tribes as recommended by Arunachal Pradesh. Moving the Bill, tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda said, “This Bill will justice to tribals. Please support and approve the Bill.”

The Bill was subsequently passed by a voice vote in Rajya Sabha.

The House also passed the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021. As the Lok Sabha had passed it earlier, this has paved the way for setting up a commission for air quality management in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas.

The Upper House also passed the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021 which was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on August 3.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh moved the Bill for discussion and passage in the House even as the Opposition members were protesting in the well of the House.

The Bill, that seeks to improve autonomy, accountability and efficiency in ordnance supplies by converting the Ordnance Factory Board into one or more fully government-owned corporate entity or entities to be registered under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, was finally passed with a voice vote.

The Centre had earlier on June 16 decided to convert the Ordnance Factory Board into seven defence public sector undertakings. The Bill also prohibits strike by anyone engaged in essential defence services.

Soon after the Bill was passed, deputy chairman Harivansh adjourned the House till 11 am on Friday.

'No discussion on Dalit girl’s alleged rape and murder'

The proceedings of the Lok Sabha were also adjourned several times on Thursday over the Pegasus spyware and other issues, including the demand of some Opposition members for a discussion on the alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl in Delhi.

Also read: Priest Admitted to His Crimes Against 9-Yr-Old Dalit Girl That Day, Say Family, Neighbours

Before the House assembled at 11 noon, Congress MP Manish Tiwari had given a notice to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of Lok Sabha over the Pegasus issue. However, the notice was not allowed by the speaker.

As soon as the question hour commenced on the sitting of the House, the Opposition members resumed their protest against the Pegasus spyware controversy, the amended farm laws and other issues.

Speaker Om Birla, however, persisted with the proceedings despite the protests, and urged the MPs to return to their seats, saying their not participating in the question hour and only indulging in raising slogans was “not appropriate for parliament traditions”. The House took up around 10 questions and supplementary questions during the question hour.

During the commotion, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, tried to raise the issue of the alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl in Delhi, but it was not allowed.

The speaker also insisted that crores of rupees were being spent on running the House and people were asking why it was not being allowed to function. However, as the protests by the Opposition continued he later adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reassembled, Chowdhury again tried to raise the issue of the alleged rape and murder of the Dalit girl and demanded that the House adopt a resolution condemning the incident.

However, this was opposed by minister of state for parliamentary affairs Arjun Meghwal – who questioned why a similar demand was not raised when a similar incident took place in Congress-ruled Rajasthan. Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, also ignored Chowdhury’s demand.

Upon laying of the papers of various ministries, the House was later adjourned till 2 pm.

Retrospective tax law repealed

In an important development which is likely to have a major impact on the telecom and oil sector in the country, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday introduced the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha. This legislation seeks to withdraw the tax demands made using a 2012 retrospective legislation to tax the indirect transfer of Indian assets.

The move would enable the Centre to withdraw all retrospective tax demands raised on companies such as Cairn Energy and Vodafone Group. The Bill provides for the withdrawal of tax demand made on “indirect transfer of Indian assets if the transaction was undertaken before May 28, 2012 (i.e. the day the retrospective tax legislation came into being)” and for refund of the money collected to enforce such levies.

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