The Lok Sabha has been adjourned sine die today two days ahead of its schedule. The Monsoon Session of Parliament was scheduled to go on till August 13. Notably, the session commenced on July 19 and just a day before, a media report was published claiming that the government used Israeli firm NSO’s spyware Pegasus to snoop on opposition leaders, journalists, activists and prominent members of the country including the judiciary.
The Opposition members were also protesting against the farm laws and other issues. The Question Hour had witnessed disruptions on most of the days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House when the house was adjourned sine die. Before indefinite adjournment, the House also paid tributes to four former members who passed away recently.
The Pegasus and the farm law issue had led to a stormy start of the monsoon session with opposition MPs demanding a discussion on the charges while the government tabled a statement saying that no illegal snooping has taken place. However, the statement from IT minister Ashwini Vaishnav did not prove sufficient as the opposition MPs continued to give adjournment motions to discuss the houses.
The government, on the other hand, claimed that it’s ready for discussion and the opposition is not letting the house run. The government also passed several bills amid din after only a few minutes of discussion. TMC MP Derek O’Brien had criticised the government wondering whether it’s passing the bills or making ‘papari chaat’.
#MASTERSTROKE#Parliament Update Aug 5
No Bills passed in first week of #MonsoonSession
Then Modi-Shah bulldozed 22 Bills in 8 days at an average time of UNDER 10 MINUTES per Bill (New chart????)
Modi Ji, challenge these new numbers????as I enjoy another plate of PAPRI CHAAT! pic.twitter.com/qctDnD3DyC
— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 5, 2021
His statement did not go well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP. Union minister Pralhad Joshi informed that PM Modi termed Derek O’ Brien’s remark an insulting comment. He hit out at the TMC saying that its MP tore papers and threw them at the chair and not apologised showing arrogance.
He was referring to TMC MP Shantanu Sen who had snatched the IT minister’s statement on the Pegasus issue inside Rajya Sabha and had flung it towards the chair after tearing the papers. Sen was later suspended for the entire monsoon session.
