The parliament was disrupted after the opposition and the government debated Rafale deal
Raucous opposition protests over Rafale deal and other issues forced adjournment in both houses of parliament for the fifth consecutive day without any business being conducted. The day started on a stormy note as the government and opposition sparred over Rafale and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK and the opposition DMK protested over the Cauvery water sharing and Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh. Appeals by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in Lok Sabha, urging lawmakers to finish pending legislation in the ongoing session before national elections, went unheard.
Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the privilege motion against the government on Rafale deal should be accepted. The government, he said, has misled Parliament and the Supreme Court on the issue by giving a wrong affidavit on the Rafale deal. His remarks triggered vociferous protests from the treasury benches.
Junior parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Goel said the Congress should apologise in view of the Supreme Court's refusal to order an SIT probe in Rafale deal and the conviction of its senior leader Sajjan Kumar in a case involving the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The government, he said, was ready to discuss all issues, including Rafale.
"The Congress is running away from a discussion on the Rafale deal because the Supreme Court has given a verdict in the Rafale and anti-Sikh riots case against the Congress," Mr Goel told NDTV later.
Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu initially adjourned the House till 2 pm, but as the protests continued when the proceedings started again, he adjourned the House for the rest of the day.
In the Lok Sabha, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the party was ready for a discussion on the Rafale issue, but demanded that a Joint Parliamentary Committee be formed to investigate the deal.
The BJP members raised slogans demanding an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Within minutes, the House was adjourned till noon because of the protests.
On Monday, three members of the BJP in the Lok Sabha moved a notice of breach of privilege against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he spoke "falsehood" and "misled the House" over the Rafale deal in his speech during a debate in July.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that there is no reason to doubt the decision-making process behind the Rafale jet deal, in massive validation for the government, which has been repeatedly accused by the Congress of corruption in the Rs. 59,000-crore deal for 36 jets.
On Monday, Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was found guilty in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sentenced to jail "for the remainder of his natural life" by the Delhi High Court, which cancelled an earlier court order acquitting him of charges in what the judges called "genocide".
The winter session of parliament that started on December 11 will end on January 8. This is the last full session before the 2019 national elections.
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