NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings on Thursday were adjourned for almost an hour as Congress members created uproar over the issue of alleged misuse of central probe agencies by the government.
Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge charged that autonomous bodies were being misused by the government to settle political scores, an allegation that was countered by Treasury benches.
"How can they summon me when Parliament is in session?" asked Kharge in the upper house, while talking about the Enforcement Directorate summons, asking him to appear before it in the National Herald case.
The agency already on Wednesday sealed the offices of Young Indian Limited, the firm that owns Associated Journals, which runs the outlet, at Herald House in Delhi. Kharge is the company's authorised representative, and as per ED officials, they sealed the premises as the senior Congress leader wasn't there.
"I have to appear (before the ED) at 12.30 pm. I want to follow the law. But is it appropriate to summon me at this time, in the middle of the Parliament session?" Kharge said in Rajya Sabha this morning.
"Yesterday, police surrounded the houses of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Will democracy remain alive in such a situation? Will we be able to work as per the Constitution? We will not be afraid. We will fight this," he added.
From the ruling BJP, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal countered these allegations.
"The government does not interfere in the work of any law enforcement agency," he claimed.
"Maybe in their (Congress) rule, that used to happen," he quipeed, while saying, "Now, if anyone does anything wrong, the agencies will do their duty."
This led to heated exchanges between MPs of the two sides.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he has not agreed to a discussion on the issue sought by Kharge and adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.
Soon after listed papers were laid on the table at the start of the day's proceedings, Naidu said he has received five notices under Rule 267 but none have been admitted.
AAP's Sanjay Singh and Congress' Deepender Singh Hooda wanted a discussion on the Army's recruitment scheme Agnipath through their notices while Raghav Chadha sought to raise the issue of drug haul at ports in Gujarat and Maharasthra.
Kharge and his party colleague K C Venugopal gave notices under Rule 267 to raise the issue of alleged misuse of probe agencies for political vendetta.
The issue figured a day after the Enforcement Directorate temporarily sealed the office of Young Indian company housed in the premises of Congress-owned newspaper National Herald here as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Naidu said he has not admitted them as the issues can be raised in any other form.
Rule 267 provides for setting aside the business of the day to take up discussion on issue being raised in such notices.
Naidu, however, allowed Kharge to mention the issue he wanted to raise.
The heated exchange with Treasury benches erupted just as Kharge began mentioning the issue.
The chairman then adjourned the proceedings.
Lok Sabha proceedings on Thursday too were adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition protests.
As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members, including from Congress, wanted to raise the ED action, price rise and other issues.
On Wednesday, the ED temporarily sealed the office of Young Indian (YI) company housed in the premises of Congress-owned newspaper National Herald here as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Shouting slogans, Congress members trooped into the Well of the House.
Speaker Om Birla requested the members to go back to their seats but they continued with their protests.
Five questions and related supplementary were taken up during the Question Hour, which went on till around 11:30 am.
As the din continued, Birla adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
(With Inputs From Agencies)