War of words forces Lok Sabha adjourned twice
Union Minister of State and BJP MP Ravneet Singh (left) and Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi speak in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Thursday
New Delhi : The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice in the post-lunch period on Thursday as a war of words broke out between the treasury and opposition benches, triggered by Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi's spat with BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu. Participating in a debate on the Union Budget, Channi referred to the assassination of Bittu's grandfather, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
This led to a war of words between Channi and Bittu, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP. Bittu, the Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, countered by making certain personal remarks against Channi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, triggering a uproar.
Amid the angry exchange of words, Congress member Amrinder Singh Raja Warring tried to enter the Well of the House, but was stopped by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. From the treasury benches, Bittu also tried to enter the Well. BJP member Sandhya Ray, who was in the chair, then adjourned the proceedings for 30 minutes till 2 pm.
When the House reconvened, Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the Lok Sabha Rajnath Singh urged Speaker Om Birla to remove any unparliamentary references and continue with the debate. Birla also directed the treasury and the opposition members to maintain the dignity of the House, adding that ministers especially should not break the rules. Channi then proceeded to conclude his speech. He mentioned the meeting of Rahul Gandhi with some farmer leaders on Wednesday, adding that they had also sought time to meet the prime minister. Channi also accused the government of not keeping its promises to the farmers.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal intervened and accused the Congress MP of misleading the House, saying he should authenticate the allegations he was making. Channi accused the ruling party members of obstructing his speech and alleged that the government was overlooking farmers. He stressed that the farmers had several demands, including one for a loan waiver.