RS witnesses noisy scenes over BJP's demand to raise corruption in Karnataka
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed noisy scenes during the Zero Hour after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected notices by ruling party members to suspend listed business of the House to discuss an issue related to corruption in Karnataka, but allowed a BJP member to raise the matter.
Treasury members were on their feet to protest rejection of the notices under Rule 267 of procedure and conduct of business of Rajya Sabha, while Opposition, mainly Congress MPs objected to Chair's permission to BJP's Iranna Kadadi to raise the issue of corruption in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) as part of his Zero Hour mention.
Kadadi, Brij Lal, Naresh Bansal and Sudhanshu Trivedi of BJP had given the notices.
Dhankhar had to repeatedly ask the protesting members from both sides to accept his ruling and bring order in the House.
Soon after the House paid homage to martyrs of Kargil War and laying of listed papers, the chairman said that while there were no notices under Rule 267 during the past two days, he has received four from MPs belonging to the ruling party demanding discussion on the issue of corruption in KMVSTDC by suspending the scheduled business.
"All of them (notices) belonged to the ruling party. These notices ignore my directives which were explicit. There may be issues of great importance, many have been raised under 267 earlier (by Opposition), I declined all of them. No issue which is otherwise of great urgency and contemporary relevance call for invocation of Rule 267. This invocation notwithstanding your feelings on the issue does not come up to the requirement of Rule 267," he said while rejecting the notices.
However, he said Kadadi has been permitted to raise the matter as part of his Zero Hour mention.
When Kadadi's turn came to speak on the KMVSTDC issue, Congress members objected saying that his name does not appear in the list of speakers for the Zero Hour morning session.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said since Kadadi's name is not in the list circulated, the chair may allow him to speak on the issue some other day.
Dhankhar said that while giving his ruling on the notices under Rule 267, he had categorically informed multiple times that Kadadi has been allowed to raise the issue during the ongoing Zero Hour.
Tiruchi Siva (DMK) requested the chairman that other members too should be given permission as has been given to Kadadi.
To this, Dhankhar said he would allow provided a member seeks such permission.
Later, Kadadi spoke on the alleged corruption in KMVSTDC amid protest by Opposition.
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Centre must roll back LPG price hike, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately roll back the recent steep hike in LPG prices, alleging that it has severely impacted common people and small businesses.
In a statement, Vijayan described the increase as "one of the most cruel" in the history of cooking gas price revisions, saying it has pushed ordinary households and entrepreneurs into distress.
He said the price of commercial LPG cylinders had been raised by Rs 993 in one go, crossing Rs 3,000, which would adversely affect the hotel and restaurant sector.
The hike in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders by Rs 251.50 would hit migrant workers and small families who depend on them, he added.
The chief minister alleged that the hike came immediately after the conclusion of Assembly elections in states, placing an additional burden on common people, small-scale entrepreneurs and migrant labourers.
Pointing to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, Vijayan said the hospitality sector has already been facing a shortage of cooking gas for months and the latest price increase would be difficult to absorb.
The burden would ultimately be passed on to consumers, he said, warning that several small establishments, including those in Kerala, could be forced to shut down.
Accusing oil companies of prioritising profits over public welfare, he said such a trend of imposing additional financial burden on people cannot be accepted.
Vijayan also alleged that the Centre's policies favour corporate interests and called for a correction in approach.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the excessive hike without delay.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
