Rajya Sabha was adjourned for one hour in the morning on Monday after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu disallowed notices to suspend business and discuss the nationwide general strike called by workers and price rise. Soon after the official papers were laid on the Table of the House, Naidu announced that he has received notices from Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress), Ashok Sidharth
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday took a jibe at his party over Ghulam Nabi Azad being conferred with the Padma Bhushan, saying it was ironic that the Congress does not need his services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life.
High drama was witnessed in Rajya Sabha during the passage of a bill to change election laws on Tuesday afternoon after Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O'Brien threw the Rule Book at the reporters' table after the Chair did not allow voting citing disorder in the House. The Opposition walked out of the House while the government condemned the behaviour of O'Brien.
The government has invited floor leaders of five parties for a meeting on Monday morning to resolve the impasse over the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs but the Opposition is suspicious about the intention behind the move, amid indications that they may choose not to attend the deliberations. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wrote to floor leaders of Congress,
With a majority of its MPs giving Parliament a slip, the Congress has issued a three-line whip to its lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha asking them to be present in the House during the day on Wednesday.