Mallikarjun Kharge condemns CISF presence in Parliament well

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday, 1 August, raised strong objections to the presence of security personnel in the well of the House, alleging opposition MPs were being prevented from raising issues.

In a letter to the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, Kharge said he was shocked and astonished to see CISF personnel made to run in the House when members are exercising their democratic rights.

Writing on behalf of the Opposition parties, the leader of Opposition said, "We are astonished and shocked at the manner in which CISF personnel are made to run into the well of the House when the members are exercising their democratic rights of protest."

"We saw this yesterday and we saw this today as well. Has our Parliament being reduced to such a level? This is most objectionable and we condemn it unequivocally," he said.

"We expect that in future CISF personnel will not come trooping in the well of the House when members are raising important issues of public concern," Kharge said in his letter to Harivansh.

Congress general secretary, communications and chief whip of the party in the upper house, Jairam Ramesh shared Kharge's letter on social media, saying the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha has just written to the deputy chairman, Rajya Sabha on this "shocking" development.

"After the sudden and unprecedented resignation of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, we are now seeing the takeover of the chamber of the Council of States by the personnel of the CISF," Ramesh said in a post,

When the House re-assembled at 12 noon, some MPs of TMC and DMK tried to enter the well but were blocked by security personnel at the entry point. However, some MPs sneaked into the well and raised slogans. They also protested against their blockade by security staff in the house.

Some of the members who protested in the well were Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghosh, Derek O'Brien (all of TMC), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), and Sanjay Singh (AAP).

Rajya Sabha proceedings were washed out on Friday amid vociferous protests by Opposition members, who were demanding a discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and its rollback.

Some of the Opposition members tried to enter the well but were blocked by marshalls in the house, leading to strong objections by some leaders. They later alleged that it was a "paramilitary takeover" of the house.

When the House reassembled at 12 noon, some TMC and DMK MPs tried to enter the well, but were blocked by security personnel at the entry point. However, some MPs, including some women, sneaked into the well and raised slogans. They also protested against the blockade by security staff.

Among some of the members who protested in the well were Nadimul Haque, Sagarika Ghosh, Derek O'Brien (all of TMC), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), and Sanjay Singh (AAP).

The Rajya Sabha could not function on Friday, and both the Zero Hour and Question Hour became casualties. They raised slogans against SIR and demanded its withdrawal.

In the afternoon session, there was no let-up in the protests.

Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was in the chair, asked Vivek Tankha (Congress) to ask his supplementary question, urging protesting members to return to their seats and allow the question hour to function.

However, Tankha said he cannot speak as the House was not in order. Amid the din, the chair adjourned the Rajya Sabha for the day, as opposition members continued with their sloganeering inside the well and spoke into the microphones.

The House will now meet again on Monday morning.