Chairman and Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan instructed the Center on Thursday to "consider the request" for Union Home Minister Amit Shah to visit the Rajya Sabha during the Opposition's demonstration. "I request you to consider the request for the Home Minister to come to the House; as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, you can echo the sentiments of the Opposition to the Home Minister," the Rajya Sabha Chairman remarked to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Earlier, opposition lawmakers persisted in their demand that Shah appear in the House and address concerns regarding purported abuses by security personnel during the July 20 raid on children protesting paper leaks. "Amit Shah jawaab do, Sadan mein aao" (Amit Shah must answer, come to the House) was one of their chants.
Rijiju mentioned two rules: Rule 240 on irrelevance or repetition and Rule 235, which calls for a stop to interruptions by the opposition. After reading the regulation, Rijiju claimed that Congress leader and House Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was restating what he had said. "This rule applies to our Leader of the Opposition because Kharge ji reads out the same thing and says the same thing every day," Rijiju stated.
Kiren Rijiju versus Mallikarjun Kharge
Radhakrishnan gave Kharge a limited opportunity to speak after Zero Hour Mentions. But the Treasury Benches opposed and rose in protest. After then, the House was adjourned till noon. The Chairman gave Kharge the opportunity to reply to Rijiju when it reconvened. According to Kharge, he didn't need to take Rijiju's advice on what to say in the House. He maintained that he has the right to choose how, when, and what to say.
Additionally, Kharge stood up for Congress MP and colleague Pawan Khera, whom Rijiju had previously chastised for shouting slogans. "We brought up issues pertaining to the nation and its 140 crore citizens, and we are requesting that the Prime Minister and Home Minister visit." We are prepared to talk, so I ask that you, Sir, order the Home Minister to come here and make a statement," he continued.
"You are telling our knowledgeable Pawan Khera to read. The late BJP veteran Arun Jaitley ji stated in this House of the Rajya Sabha that disruption is a natural part of democracy and that you are free to ask pertinent questions. They're fleeing here," Kharge remarked.
The Chairman then requested that Rijiju take into account the Opposition's request that the Home Minister be present. "He is a senior member and the Leader of the Opposition, but he has not quoted any rules," Rijiju countered Kharge. I cited Rule 240; even though you had given him an opportunity to speak each day, he continued to bring up the same issue. For this reason, it was explicitly stated that a member, whether from the ruling party or the opposition, cannot bring up the same subject that he has discussed with the chair's approval.
"As Parliamentary Affairs minister, I want to facilitate, but the problem is he hasn't made his maiden speech yet," he stated in reference to Khera. There was plenty of opportunity for a member to speak, but so many new members have already done so, the Congress party is yelling, and the new members are not learning anything since their leadership isn't giving them a chance.
"I simply suggested that he was not on his seat or following any rules when he entered the House well and continued to yell, which is against the rules. "I ask that the new member be given the opportunity to speak once more," he remarked.
