Parliament adjourned over price rise issue
New Delhi: The issue of price rise rocked both houses of Parliament on Tuesday with a united Opposition trying to put the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government on the mat over the issue.
There was pandemonium in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha as soon as the session began on Tuesday. Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned till 12 noon following uproar by Opposition over rising prices of essential commodities.
In the Lok Sabha Opposition members started raising slogans against the Government as soon as the House assembled. Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the House till 12 noon when the slogan shouting did not stop despite her repeated appeals. Rajya Sabha was adjourned after Samajwadi Party MPs approached the well of the House over price rise.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), facing the heat over the arrest of its leader and former Gujarat minister of state for home Amit Shah in the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, has decided to use price rise as the main weapon to divert attention from the controversy over the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter and the arrest of its leader and former Gujarat minister of state for home Amit Shah in the case.
The BJP is trying for a united Opposition attack on the UPA over the price rise issue by joining hands with the Left Front and the Samajwadi Party. The Opposition wants an adjournment motion and is adamant on putting the issue to vote.
However, the Government is in no mood to let the BJP gain an upper hand and says as per rules only matters of immediate and urgent attention can be allowed under adjournment motion.
Government sources say since price rise is an ongoing crisis it there cannot be an adjournment motion on it. The Government is also worried that if a united Opposition decides to take up the issue it Rajya Sabha where the UPA is in a minority then it could lead to a major embarrassment to the Government.
Even in the Lok Sabha some UPA partners have voiced their concerns of rising prices of food items and the Government vote will have to work at cobbling the numbers it the issue is put to vote.
Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi party may also go along with the BJP on the issue of price rise. But Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is facing elections in West Bengal next year, will back the Government. Trinamool MPs say they do will not press for any specific rule for discussion on price rise and are ready to discuss price rise under any rule which does not require voting.
The primary responsibility of defending the Government will fall on Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a Rajya Sabha member.
But the Opposition has been insisting on a reply by the Prime Minister on the price rise issue in Lok Sabha.
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