Bihar issue rocks Parliament
Both Houses adjourned amid din
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 4 — The Bihar issue continued to mar the parliamentary proceedings today as both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day without transacting much business with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) members remaining adamant on their demand to revoke President’s rule in the state.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day without transacting any business as the entire Opposition demanded suspension of question hour for discussing the Bihar issue immediately. The Lok Sabha was also finally adjourned for the day at 3.30 p.m. when the RLM members continued to block the proceedings. The Lok Sabha was first adjourned till 1.30 p.m. and it was again adjourned later.

The government, amid the continuing din, presented the 1999-2000 Budget for Goa in the Lok Sabha. The Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, tabled the Budget as the state is under President’s rule and sought a vote on account for the first four months of the coming financial year.

Despite repeated appeals by the Chairman, Mr Krishan Kant, to allow question hour to proceed, the Opposition led by vociferous MPs from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Left parties did not allow taking up of question hour and after 45 minutes, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes.

When the Rajya Sabha reassembled at noon, Opposition members led by the Samajwadi MP, Mr Azam Khan, again pressed for a discussion on Bihar and within minutes, the Chairman adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr P.R. Kumaramangalam, informed the House that the government would do nothing contravening the legal, democratic and constitutional provisions under any circumstances. This was reiterated by the Leader of the House, Mr Sikander Bakht.

The government would certainly inform the House by March 8, what it proposed to do on the issue, Mr Kumaramangalam told the Rajya Sabha.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned for 90 minutes till 1.30 p.m. when the RJD and the SP members blocked the proceedings demanding that the resolution seeking ratification of President’s rule in Bihar be taken up in the Rajya Sabha.

As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled to take up business, the RJD and SP members stood up, alleging that the government was dragging its feet on the issue since it did not have the majority in the Rajya Sabha.

But the Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, continued with question hour amidst slogan-shouting.

A CPM member, Mr Basudeb Acharya, wanted to know whether the Lok Sabha secretariat had conveyed to the Rajya Sabha the passage of the resolution pertaining to the ratification of President’s rule in Bihar. Two former Prime Ministers, Mr Chandra Shekhar and Mr I.K. Gujral, supported Mr Acharya on the issue.

Intervening on behalf of the government, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mr Pramod Mahajan said the Lok Sabha secretariat was not obliged to inform the Rajya Sabha secretariat since it was not a Bill but only a resolution.

Mr Mahajan’s intervention evoked protests. The opposition members wanted to know whether the Lok Sabha secretariat had passed on the message to the Rajya Sabha.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Sharad Pawar, said the government should inform the members when the resolution would be brought in the Rajya Sabha. "If the government gives a specific reply, I will persuade my friends (RJD and SP MPs) not to disturb the question hour", Mr Pawar said.

Mr Mahajan said it was strange that a senior member like the Leader of the Opposition was seeking in the Lok Sabha a promise from the government about the agenda for the Rajya Sabha.

The RJD and SP members, including Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, rushed to the well of the House and squatted there for sometime, raising slogans.

Amid the din, the House was adjourned till 1.30 pm.

When it reassembled, RJD and SP members again trooped into the well of the House, shouting slogans to demand repeal of President’s rule in Bihar.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr P.M. Sayeed, who was in the Chair, threatening action against the members, finally adjourned the House after the members squatted inside the well and kept shouting slogans for taking the statutory resolution in the Rajya Sabha and for stopping the "murder of democracy".

The members, led by Mr Laloo Prasad and Mr Mulayam Singh, began raising slogans as soon as the House reassembled at 1.30 pm. Though the members of the two parties trooped into the well of the House shortly thereafter, the two leaders remained on their feet in the front row.

Amidst the din , Mr Sayeed said in his ruling on a point of order raised by Mr Chandra Shekhar that the rules of procedure of the House did not require any message to be sent to the Rajya Sabha about the approval in the Lok Sabha of the statutory resolution relating to proclamation of President’s rule in Bihar. He said only the ministry concerned required to be informed and this had been done on February 27.

Earlier in the Rajya Sabha, the opposition members demanded the suspension of question hour. They said that an immediate discussion should be initiated on the Bihar issue as the Presidential proclamation has already been passed by the Lok Sabha last week. It would amount to an insult of the House if the proclamation was not brought before it immediately, they contended.

A senior Congress member, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, said if immediate discussion was not held on the issue, then a constitutional crisis could arise. He said in that case, the Bihar Budget could not be taken up in Parliament. "This is like placing the cart before the horse", Mr Mukherjee pointed out.

He also pointed out that as the House was scheduled to go into recess from March 19 to April 11, how could it approve the proclamation within the stipulated time-frame.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Dr Manmohan Singh, urged the government to come up with the resolution before the House as we already have a "sad" experience on the Prasar Bharati issue.

After listening to arguments from both sides of the House, the Chairman said there was no impropriety on the part of the government as it has already laid on the table of the House the notification of the imposition of the President’s rule in Bihar.

Quoting a ruling from November, 1986, of his predecessor, Mr Krishan Kant, said no one could force the government to move the ratification of the Presidential proclamation now. "If they don’t, the proclamation lapses", he said.

In his effort to pacify the agitated members, the Chairman said that he was ready to allow discussion on the President’s rule if they moved a motion seeking discussion on the recent killings in the state, and advised them not to club both Houses.