Parliament disrupted as government prepares to table n-bill report
By IANSWednesday, August 18, 2010
NEW DELHI - Parliament got off to a stormy start Wednesday with opposition MPs — other than the BJP-led alliance — protesting illegal mining in Karnataka and the clean chit given to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing case.
While the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m., the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for the day. The government is set to table the parliamentary standing committee report on the controversial civil nuclear liability bill. The disruptions were forced as soon as both houses met at 11 a.m. for Question Hour.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad shouted slogans in the Lok Sabha and flashed a newspaper clipping that read: “No evidence against Narendra Modi in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case”.
The Bihar politician alleged that the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had joined hands and saved Modi. “Congress BJP mil gaya, Narendra Modi ko chhod diya,” he shouted.
Members from the Left, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and from the non-National Democratic Alliance and non-United Progressive Alliance combines walked towards Speaker Meira Kumar’s podium in the Lok Sabha.
Janata Dal-Secular MPs were carrying placards demanding removal of the “corrupt Karantaka government”.
Despite repeated pleas by Meira Kumar, the opposition MPs did not return to their seats and continued with slogan shouting.
Amid the din, the speaker adjourned the house till 12. It was then again adjourned till 2 p.m. when the disruptions continued.
The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned till noon and then for the day after protests over the same issues.
The controversial nuclear liability bill report will be tabled later Wednesday, a day after the standoff between the Congress and the BJP finally ended.
The BJP indicated its willingness to accept the trebling of compensation in case of an accident to Rs 1,500 crore, a key proposal contained in a parliamentary panel’s report on the bill.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology looking into the bill Tuesday finalised its report which recommends raising of the compensation cap.
With a view to fast-tracking the passage of the legislation in the ongoing monsoon session of parliament, the Congress called for forging consensus on the bill, a prerequisite for implementing the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal.
The BJP, which had earlier resisted any mention of a cap in the proposed legislation, appeared to have settled for the revised amount because of the provision for a further hike through a government notification if required.
The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, was referred to the standing committee after fierce opposition from the BJP and Left parties.
