Opp MPs tear apart papers, yank mikes from Chairman's desk,  throw Parliament rule book at presiding officer

The Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed two key farm Bills amid an unprecedented ruckus as Opposition members rushed in the Well against the Covid-19 protocol, tore off documents, yanked mikes fixed to the Chairman's desk and threw Parliament rule book at the presiding officer, Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narain Singh.

The ruling party managed to push through both the controversial farm Bills — Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 — of the three it had proposed and got passed in the Lok Sabha amid uproar from Opposition MPs.

The trouble started when sitting of the Rajya Sabha was extended beyond the scheduled time to allow passage of the Bills. Opposition members, who felt such a move should be resorted to only by consensus, rushed into the Well, shouting slogans against the Government and terming the Bill as death warrants for farmers. While Opposition has now moved a no confidence against Deputy Chairman Harivansh, the Government and Chairman Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu are mulling what action to be taken against the Members who created a pandemonium in the House.

The Government is likely to introduce the third farm Bill in the Upper House of Parliament on Monday. These Bills will now be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent. Four Opposition-sponsored motions to send the two Bills to a House panel for greater scrutiny were negated by voice vote, but the Congress, TMC, CPI(M) and DMK members sought a division of vote on the issue.

As Harivansh over-ruled them saying division of votes can take place only when members are on their seat, TMC leader Derek O'Brien charged towards the podium, thrusting the rule book into the face of the Deputy Chairman.

House marshals thwarted the move and blocked a book that was flung towards Harivansh. An attempt was also made to pull microphones away from the chair but the marshals physically stopped that from happening. DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, who along with O'Brien, KC Venugopal of the Congress and KK Ragesh of CPI(M), had moved resolutions for sending the Bills to the Select Committee, tore papers and flung them into the air.

Harivansh, who asked members to go back to their places and not come into the Well due to the Covid-19 protocol requiring physical separation, first muted the audio of the live proceedings but with the ruckus continuing, he adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes.

When the House reassembled, Opposition parties chanted slogans but this did not prevent Harivansh from putting the Bill to voice vote.

As the first Bill got voice approval of the House and motions for sending it to a select committee were rejected, at least two members tried to climb on the table of Rajya Sabha officers but were pulled down.

Both the Bills were passed by voice vote and amendments moved by the Opposition parties rejected.

However, the Congress and other Opposition party members sat in protest inside the Rajya Sabha even after the House was adjourned for the day after the passage of the two farm Bills.

The House sitting ends at 1 pm and Rajya Sabha chamber has to be sanitised by 3 pm when Lok Sabha sits for a session. Both the chambers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are being used for each House to allow members to follow physical distancing norms.

As a result, the Lok Sabha had to be adjourned till 4 pm as Congress members demanded that the House proceedings should not take place till Rajya Sabha galleries are cleared of the agitating members of the Upper House.

Shortly after the passage of the Bills, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal urged President Ram Nath Kovind not to give his assent to the legislations and return them to Parliament for reconsideration. Badal's party had earlier pulled out Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Cabinet in protest against the Bills.

Three regional heavyweights - its oldest ally, Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the ruling BJD in Odisha and Telangana's TRS which the BJP usually banked on to get support for crucial Bills --- opposed the Bills. Together the three parties send 19 MPs to the Upper House.

The other parties that clearly expressed their party's stance against the Bills included the Congress which has 40 (MPs), SP (8 MPs), Trinamool Congress (13 MPs), DMK (7 MPs), AAP (3 MPs), NCP (4 MPs), RJD (5 MPs) and the CPI and CPI(M) which together send 6 MPs to the House.

Parties that clearly supported the Bill included BJP (86), YSR Congress (6), AIADMK (9) and BPF (1). Leaders of Shiv Sena and the BSP raised some objections but also found merit in the Bills.

Unlike its ally SAD which has not supported this Bill, Modi's another ally JD(U) supported the Bills with party member in Rajya Sabha Ram Chandra Prasad Singh said it is for the first time that a farmers' policy has come after a long time. He said in 1991 when the country saw liberalisation, it missed bringing agriculture reforms.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) the oldest constituent in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said that there can't be any talks with the Centre unless the agriculture Bills are taken back.

AIADMK part of the NDA, opposed the Bills claiming the Bills favoured the corporate houses. The AAP too opposed the farm Bills, similarly TRS alleged these Bills would cause great injustice to farmers in the country.

The party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy announced its support for the Bill. YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy slammed the Congress and said that there is no reason for it to oppose agriculture-related Bills.

Shiv Sena took a stand against the farm Bills with its leader Sanjay Raut demanding a special session to discuss them.

The Trinamool Congress, DMK, RJD, JMM, and CPI(M) wanted the Bill to be sent to a select committee of Rajya Sabha for greater scrutiny.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh put their demands for vote and said the motions have been negated by voice vote. There was then slogan-shouting as the members tried to heckle the presiding officer who was protected by House marshals.

TMC member Derek O Brien, who flung the rule book right in front of the Chair, said that it was "sad, sad day for Parliamentary democracy" and alleged that despite Opposition's demand for a vote the Government pushed through the legislation with a heavy hand since it was outnumbered on the issue.

The Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for a few minutes after some Opposition MPs snatched papers from the Chair desk and damaged the microphones on his desk. Marshals had to be called in to control the situation.

Soon after 1 o'clock when the Agriculture Minister was responding to the objections raised during the debate on the Bills, the Deputy Chairperson announced an extension in the time of the session.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad objected saying that the House could only be extended through consensus and the consensus among members was to adjourn the House till Monday.