Opposition stalls Parliament proceedings on Black money issue

As expected, a united opposition stalled the proceedings on the second day of Parliament's Winter Session on Tuesday.

The opposition raised the key issues including the repatriation of black money, amendments in the bill related to appointment of CBI chief and FDI in the insurance sector.

Members of Trinamool MPs blocked the main entrance of the Parliament Building, holding up black umbrellas with slogans like "Kaala dhan wapas Lao (Bring back black money) written on them.

As soon as the House met for the day, members from Trinamool Congress rushed to the Well holding the umbrellas.

They were soon joined by members from the Congress, RJD, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan warned the members against displaying umbrellas and said they should desist from using such tactics to show their protest.

The Trinamool Congress and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) already gave a notice for the suspension of the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha to discuss the black money issue.

Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge earlier pointed out that his party has given a notice for suspension of Question Hour.

But Speaker said it was against the rules though she was willing to accommodate a debate on black money under other rules.

SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was sitting next to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, tried to speak on the issue but could not be heard amid din.

The Speaker then adjourned the House for 40 minutes till noon and then till 2 pm.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee had already warned that her Parliamentarians would take on the government over the repatriation of black money. “Where is black money? You bring back the black money first that is stashed in foreign banks,” Banerjee told a rally on Monday in Kolkata.

It has been learnt that Trinamool has been the most vocal among the parties.

Reports suggest, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP are already at loggerhead over the issue of multi-crore Saradha chitfund scam that got busted in April last year and the subsequent Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the issue.

The federal investigation agency sleuths already arrested two Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha members, Srinjoy Bose and Kunal Ghosh, and former state police top cop who was also a senior Trinamool Congress leader Rajat Majumder in connection with the ponzi meltdown.

"Black money was one of the key poll planks in the Lok Sabha elections on which the BJP won, but the government has done nothing on this count since it came to power. We want a threadbare discussion on this," said JD(U) leader KC Tyagi.

Oppositon shouted "Modiji jawab do! jawab do!"

Faced with stiff opposition from different parties, The BJP-led NDA has agreed for a debate in Parliament on the black money issue.

The government has reportedly written to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that it is ready for a discussion.

"We are ready for a debate, for 10 years you did not do anything... in six months we have taken many important steps. We are ready for a discussion on the black money matter," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, following which Speaker Mahajan said: "You only want to shout, and don't want a discussion."

According to reports, the government is worried about the fate of some of the Bills because the SP, the BSP, the JD(U) and the CPM, along with the TMC, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal (Secular) together have 60 members of Parliament (MPs) in the Rajya Sabha out of a total 245.

The insurance bill, which seeks to increase FDI in the sector to 49 percent from 26 percent, is the most at risk.

While the Congress, which has 68 MPs has indicated that it will support the bill, Janata Dal-United (JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said after the meeting that his party plans to oppose it, along with the Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist, and the TMC.

They are also trying to convince the Congress to join in the name of 'larger opposition unity'.