Centre stalls Opposition pleas to discuss snooping scandal: Govt. continued to stall the Opposition’s relentless pleas in Parliament to discuss the Pegasus snooping allegations

The government also passed bills amid the din by voice vote, drawing accusations of 'riding roughshod over the House'

A member of the National Students Union of India protests over the Pegasus snooping controversy in New Delhi on Monday.:  Prem Singh

TT Bureau   |   03.08.21 ; The government on Monday continued to stall the Opposition’s relentless pleas in Parliament to discuss the Pegasus snooping allegations and passed bills amid the din by voice vote, drawing accusations of “riding roughshod over the House”.

“Sabhapati mahoday, hum charcha chahte hain, hum charcha chahte hain, charcha chahte hain (Sir, we want a discussion, we want a discussion, we want a discussion),” Congress House leader Adhir Chowdhury shouted during the afternoon session in the Lok Sabha.

“We want to discuss Pegasus first and then other issues,” he managed to add before his mike was switched off.

Adhir’s plea had come as he rose to protest finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s act of introducing a bill amid the chaos. He accused the government of “riding roughshod over the House” by pushing bills through without discussion.

Sitharaman had withdrawn the tribunals reforms bill and introduced an amended one in its place.

Adhir’s mike was muted because the presiding officer was not ready to allow him to speak on any subject other than his notice opposing the introduction and passage of bills.

Monday marked the start of the third week and the 10th day of the monsoon session of Parliament, which concludes on August 13. From day one the Opposition had begun demanding discussions on the Pegasus controversy, farmers’ agitation, Covid, price rise and some other issues.

Since last week, however, the Opposition has focused on demanding a discussion on Pegasus first and then the other issues. The government has termed Pegasus a “non-issue” and said it was ready to discuss other issues.

As in other days, Opposition members trooped to the Well of the House on Monday, waved placards and chanted slogans demanding a discussion on, and a probe into, the allegations about the government snooping on judges, politicians, journalists, activists and others using Israeli spyware.

Speaker Om Birla conducted Question Hour for over half an hour amid the protests and then adjourned the House till noon. In the afternoon, the House was adjourned again after Sitharaman withdrew a bill and introduced another.

When the House met again, the finance minister was ready to get the General Insurance Business (Amendment) Bill passed.

Adhir again opposed the bill, terming it “anti-people” and “anti-national” and accused the government of intending to sell public-sector insurance companies to private buyers.

Sitharaman called the charge “misleading” and said she would have replied in detail had the Opposition allowed a discussion. The bill was passed by voice vote in less than 10 minutes and the House was adjourned for the day.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed similar chaos, with the Opposition demanding a discussion on the Pegasus controversy under Rule 267 and the government passing the Inland Vessels Bill.

Chairman Venkaiah Naidu warned that he would name the MPs waving placards in the official record of proceedings – seen as a reprimand.

“What I’m saying is that I’m ready, I’m ready to discuss. Even the business advisory committee has decided to hear about farmers’ problems and also other problems, provided the House is in order,” Naidu said before adjourning the House.