Week-long Lok Sabha deadlock ends, spirited debate witnessed

NEW DELHI: The week-long deadlock in the Lok Sabha ended on Monday after Congress and allies gave up their demand for a stand-alone debate on farm laws and agreed to the government’s pitch for clubbing a long-duration debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address with the farm laws. The ensuing debate saw Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demanding a JPC to probe the TRP scam.

The so-called ‘hardline floor strategy’ gave in for a format the opposition adopted a week ago in the Rajya Sabha. The RS strategy had seen PM Modi responding to issues raised on the farm laws. A standalone debate on farm laws would have ended up as a short-duration discussion, with even the agriculture minister not obliged to reply.

With the pressure mounting, a meeting of some opposition floor leaders convened by Rahul Gandhi decided to lift the House blockade, after the government sent encouraging feelers. After the House adjourned at 4 PM, due to protests, the truce ritual played out at the Speaker’s chamber between defence minister Rajnath Singh, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Patel and opposition floor leaders. Singh later made an appeal in the House to “preserve traditions of our healthy democracy”, including both Houses passing motion of thanks to the President’s address at the beginning of the budget session. Chowdhury responded by saying that the opposition had always shown deference to conventions and the President but only wanted to highlight the farmers’ issues through a separate debate. He signaled reconciliation with a lament about the “government using its majority” to have its way.


The debate soon resumed with BJP’s Locket Chatterjee. Rival MPs slugged it out over the state of judiciary, showcasing BJP-Trinamool fight in Bengal, concerns on farms laws, state of democracy, economy and liberty of citizens. Chatterjee targeted Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee by arguing she should “take lessons on democracy”.

Chowdhury (Congress) hit out at the Centre, charging it with “targeting” farmers and minority sections. He pinned the responsibility for the R-Day incident at Red Fort on the home minister. “When there is home minister Amit Shah, how could this happen?” Chowdhury demanded a JPC to probe the TRP scam and asked how Arnab Goswami knew “there would be air strikes” after Pulwama attack?

Mohua Moitra (Trinamool) said: “The government has set up factories of propaganda, the only achievement of these factories is rebranding cowardice as courage.” Her remarks against the judiciary and a certain chief justice triggered protests and demands from the BJP that they be expunged.