NEW DELHI: As Parliament adjourned sine die on Friday, a political blame game erupted with the ruling BJP accusing the opposition of “stalling” the debate on air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
Though the Lok Sabha was scheduled to hold a debate on pollution on Thursday, it did not take place after Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House after the passage of the VB-RAM G Bill.
The government on Friday said some MPs had shown “unacceptable behaviour” during the debate on the rural jobs guarantee bill. Responding to the allegations, a Congress leader told this newspaper that Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour and urged for a debate. “The government agreed to hold a debate after Rahul Gandhi demanded it. Now the government is running away from it,” he said.
Calling air pollution a “national health emergency”, Gandhi had urged a structured debate with concrete measures.
Addressing a press conference after the session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, termed the session as “very productive” as eight bills were passed after debates. “But the opposition’s behaviour during the debate in the Lok Sabha on the G-RAM-G Bill was unacceptable.
Some of the members even stood on the table of the Lok Sabha Secretary General. Some Congress members also conveyed that there was no need for a debate on pollution. That is why the issue could not be taken up for discussion,” he said.
Expressing regret for being unable to hold the debate on air pollution, Rijiju said that the government was fully ready for the discussion and the minister concerned got ready after the subject was listed in the name of three members—Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK) and Bansuri Swaraj (BJP).
“We were fully ready for the debate on pollution. But the Congress encouraged others to stage protests on the G-RAM-G Bill in the Well of the House. They threw papers, stood atop desks and stalled the proceedings. I want to tell the opposition that they won’t get votes through such tactics,” he said.