Opposition protests stall Lok Sabha; FCRA Bill set for showdown

New Delhi: Work in the Lok Sabha was disrupted on Friday, with Opposition protests demanding home minister Amit Shah's statement on police action against agitating students forcing two adjournments, even as the parliamentary affairs minister argued that the disruption was becoming an impediment for Shah to speak.

Meanwhile, the Congress reiterated its opposition to the upcoming FCRA Bill, which the home minister is expected to take up in the House for consideration next week. Most parties in the INDIA bloc are opposed to this bill, which is being resisted by many non-profit and Christian organisations. The bill requires only a simple majority in Parliament for passage.

Speaking to journalists outside Parliament about the FCRA Bill, Congress MP KC Venugopal said his party and its allies will "vehemently oppose" the bill. "The government cannot bulldoze such a bill when the House is not functioning properly. They cannot pass such an important bill, which is going to affect lakhs of people, NGOs and minority communities," he said, adding: "We will not allow them to pass it." With the possibility of the government bringing up the FCRA - and, perhaps, the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation - next week, the Congress leadership has directed party MPs to be present in full strength in both Houses to oppose the bills. In the Lok Sabha, as Opposition members were unrelenting in their protest, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said: "I want to make one thing clear. These people come to Parliament, create an uproar and then leave. But Amit Shah arrives in Parliament early in the morning and leaves only at night. The slogans being raised against him are completely unjustified. This way, when Shah speaks here, you won't even be able to hear him. So why are you taking his name?" Dilip Saikia, who was in the chair, then adjourned the House till Monday.