New Delhi [India], February 4 : Rajya Sabha on Tuesday continued discussion on motion of thanks on the President's address with the members from treasury benches hailing achievements of the government and the opposition members accusing it not addressing problems concerning the common man.
Some opposition members also spoke about the India-US trade deal and said there was need for the government to protect the farming and dairy sector. They said they came to know of the agreement from US President Donald Trump and not their own government.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister and BJP leader JP Nadda said that the government will make a statement on the deal in the Parliament soon. Opposition members also staged a walk out.
In the Lok Sabha, the standoff between the opposition and government escalated after eight opposition MPs were suspended for "unruly behaviour" and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of not allowing him to proceed with his speech on the motion of thanks to the President's address.
Eight opposition members were suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the budget session for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair" following uproar in the House over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's insistence on mentioning a specific reference about the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh in 2020.
The House, which witnessed two adjournments earlier in the day, resumed proceedings at 3 pm and Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said that he would not refer to any magazine article about former Army Chief Gen MM Naravane's memoirs but briefly speak about Chinese action during the Kailash Range standoff.
The government has said that Rahul Gandhi cannot quote from an unpublished memoir or a magazine article based on it.
TDP MP, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair asked Rahul Gandhi to resume his speech on the motion of thanks to the President's Address and follow the ruling already given by Speaker Om Birla.
As Rahul Gandhi insisted on making his intended remarks, the Chair called other members to speak ion he motion of thanks to the President's Address.
Congress and opposition members resorted to sloganeering, which intensified after a TDP member started making his speech.Amid uproar, some members were seen throwing papers.
The House was adjourned till 3 pm.
When the House resumed its proceedings, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named eight opposition members.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the motion for suspension of the eight members for the remainder of the budget session for "violating rules and throwing papers on the chair"
The motion was adopted by the House amid protests from the opposition members.
The opposition MPs who have been suspended for the remainder of the session are Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, and CPI-M member S. Venkatesan.
Rahul Gandhi also wrote to Speaker Om Birla, raising concerns over "being prevented from speaking" on matters of national security during the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.
In his letter, he stated that he had followed parliamentary convention by authenticating a document he intended to cite, but despite fulfilling this requirement, he was not permitted to speak on the matter.
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