Congress questions commerce minister’s press conference amid Parliament session

A brief procedural standoff unfolded in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after a Congress member objected to the commerce minister addressing the media on the India–US trade agreement while Parliament was in session.

Raising a point of order during Zero Hour, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari questioned Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s decision to hold a press conference outside Parliament on Tuesday, arguing that long-standing parliamentary convention bars ministers from discussing policy matters publicly when the House is sitting.

“The House functions on rules and traditions,” Tiwari said, citing Rule 258, and added that such issues should first be addressed on the floor of Parliament.

Rajya Sabha chairman C P Radhakrishnan, however, rejected the objection, noting that the minister was scheduled to make a formal statement on the trade deal in the House later the same day. “The minister is going to make a statement today and therefore there is no point of order,” he ruled.

The MP maintained that his concern related specifically to the events of the previous day, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju intervened to clarify the government’s position. The minister said the statement on the trade agreement had been planned for Tuesday in the Lok Sabha but could not be delivered due to disruptions, and confirmed that it would now be made in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Despite the explanation, the chairman disallowed any further discussion on the matter.

The issue resurfaced later when CPI(M) member John Brittas sought to suspend scheduled business under Rule 267 to allow a discussion on the India–US trade deal. The chair dismissed the request, saying such motions would only be considered in cases of extreme urgency and that the House had already been taken into confidence.

Proceedings then continued with the remainder of Zero Hour.

With PTI inputs