The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today went on the offensive in the Rajya Sabha against the 'naming and shaming' of 20 of its MPs for disrupting the house while protesting against Defence Minister AK Antony's statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistanis.
After daylong protests and a peacemaking bid by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, the Rajya Sabha chairman agreed to reconsider the rule to name disrupting MPs.
20 MPs of the BJP and two TDP members had been named in the Upper House for "gross disorderly conduct" for storming the Well of the House on Wednesday. The BJP questioned why members of the ruling Congress had been left out.
"Why this discrimination? What is the rule? Naming of members of one party and showing discrimination is not acceptable. We denounce it," said BJP MP Venkaiah Naidu, as party MPs shouted slogans.
The BJP MPs staged a walkout just before the chaos forced the Rajya Sabha to adjourn. The entire Opposition later came out in their support, forcing more adjournments on the issue.
Mr Kamal Nath later met Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley and told the Rajya Sabha that the government would call a meeting to decide on rules for tackling disrupting MPs.
But some BJP MPs on the list were unfazed. "If my name figures for attacking Pakistan, then it is a badge of honour," said party MP Smriti Irani.
But both the government and the opposition seemed to be missing the larger message. There are over 110 pending Bills, including the Food Security legislation, lined up for the 13 days left in the monsoon session. Each wasted hour of Parliament, means a loss of Rs 25 lakh to the taxpayer.
After daylong protests and a peacemaking bid by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, the Rajya Sabha chairman agreed to reconsider the rule to name disrupting MPs.
20 MPs of the BJP and two TDP members had been named in the Upper House for "gross disorderly conduct" for storming the Well of the House on Wednesday. The BJP questioned why members of the ruling Congress had been left out.
"Why this discrimination? What is the rule? Naming of members of one party and showing discrimination is not acceptable. We denounce it," said BJP MP Venkaiah Naidu, as party MPs shouted slogans.
The BJP MPs staged a walkout just before the chaos forced the Rajya Sabha to adjourn. The entire Opposition later came out in their support, forcing more adjournments on the issue.
Mr Kamal Nath later met Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley and told the Rajya Sabha that the government would call a meeting to decide on rules for tackling disrupting MPs.
But some BJP MPs on the list were unfazed. "If my name figures for attacking Pakistan, then it is a badge of honour," said party MP Smriti Irani.
But both the government and the opposition seemed to be missing the larger message. There are over 110 pending Bills, including the Food Security legislation, lined up for the 13 days left in the monsoon session. Each wasted hour of Parliament, means a loss of Rs 25 lakh to the taxpayer.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
