Congress, government continue to clash inside, outside parliament

New Delhi The continuing confrontation between the Congress and the government on Thursday saw the main opposition party forcing repeated adjournments in the Rajya Sabha over the National Herald case and a walkout in the Lok Sabha to demand a BJP members suspension over his objectionable remarksThe verbal sparring between the two sides continued for the third day outside parliament as wellFinance Minister Arun Jaitley said the answer to the Congress leadership landing up in a chakravyuh in the National Herald case is to fight their battle legally and not disrupt parliament while Congress leader Ashwani Kumar told the media that the government was indulging in a politics of intimidation and assault on liberal valuesWith the passage of crucial Goods and Services Tax bill looking increasingly uncertain amid the standoff Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a function here that there were several measures for the poor other than the crucial GST bill pending in parliamentPeople only talk about the GST and parliament but there are several other measures also for the poor that are pending in parliament Modi saidIn a Facebook post Jaitley took potshots at the Congress and said India has never accepted the diktat that the queen is not answerable to the lawWhy should the Congress and its leaders not contest the notice before the court The government cannot help them in the matter nor can the parliament Why then disturb parliament and prevent the legislative activity from continuing he saidCongress vice president Rahul Gandhi along with his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will appear in a trial court here on December 19 in connection with BJP leader Subramanian Swamys complaint in the National Herald caseWhile Congress staged a walkout for the day in the Lok Sabha and was joined by Trimanool Congress the Rajya Sabha saw repeated adjournments for the third successive day on Thursday over the National Herald case with the Congress members raising slogansRajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien tried to take up the whistleblowers protection bill but could not amid the dinThe Rajya Sabha Bulletin which informs members about the proceedings and other important issues named 46 members for disorderly conductThe list included the names of EM Sudarsana Natchiappan Ashwani Kumar Ambika Soni Kumari Selja Renuka Chowdhury and a number of other Congress leadersCongress members trooped near the chairmans podium shouting slogans soon after the house met for the day and the house saw several adjournmentsMinister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said members who were creating ruckus should be sent out of the houseI have a request Those who do not want to let the house function should be allowed to take rest let them sit outside for some days Naqvi said to which Kurien responded I agreeIn the Lok Sabha Congress leader in the house Mallikarjun Kharge sought an apology from BJP member Virendra Singh for making remarks on Wednesday against former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi apart from Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya ScindiaSpeaker Sumitra Mahajan did not allow an adjournment motion by Congress members and said the remarks have since been expunged As Congress members came near the speakers podium raising slogans the house was adjourned for nearly 25 minutesRaising the issue after the Question Hour Kharge alleged that the government seemed to be supporting the BJP memberUnless you suspend the member or there is an unconditional apology it will affect the dignity of members Please suspend him Kharge saidMinister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the Congress members were continually laying siege to the speakers podiumHe said Congress members had also raised slogans with their back to the prime minister but did not express any regret over their behaviourHow long will these double standards continueParliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said there cannot be two set of rules for the membersReferring to Wednesdays protests Biju Janata Dal member Bhartruhari Mahtab said that not only were papers thrown while the deputy speaker was in the chair but his desk too was thumped repeatedlyThe protests in the two houses began after the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the plea of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to quash the summons issued to them regarding their personal appearance by a trial court in the National Herald caseThe trial court giving relief to the Gandhis from personal appearance on Tuesday asked them to appear before it on December 19