The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the third consecutive day of the Monsoon Session on Thursday, this time just inside six minutes as the Opposition refused to budge on its demand for the resignation of three top BJP leaders.
To make matters worse, the Rajya Sabha too was adjourned inside 23 minutes after following the same route. A staggering Rs 2.5 lakh is being lost every minute due to the disruptions. The total cost to the exchequer could amount to Rs 162 crores.
Congress leaders are demanding that the government must remove Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping disgraced former IPL chief Lalit Modi in his dealings with officials in UK, where the cricket tycoon has lived since 2010.
Along with these two, the Congress is also pressing for the resignation of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, whose state government is embroiled in a deep controversy related to the Vyapam scam, which has claimed over 48 lives in a chilling murder mystery.
“The Congress is running away from discussions. We have said that we have no problem in discussing anything,” said Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday, who had briefed the PM on the issue this morning.
Opposition leaders such as Sitaram Yechury of the Left and Mayawati have also been siding with the Congress for the protests, saying both the Lalit Modi and Vyapam controversies are national issues.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “Disruption is a completely valid form of protest in Parliament. The people want answers from this government. There is neither any clarification nor any action.”
Congress’ aggressive tactics may make it tough for the government to conduct business although the party only has a slim 44 MPs sitting in Lok Sabha. Urgent government reforms such as GST, Sales Tax and National Goods are still pending. In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP government is in a minority and Congress’ support is needed in order to push through the legislations.
