Mallikarjun Kharge says personnel in Well stopping MPs; Chair takes call on security: Rijiju
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that some MPs moved 'aggressively' to prevent its proceedings, prompting marshals to prevent them and underlined that 'Parliament security is a serious issue overseen by the Chair and not government'.
In his letter on behalf of the Opposition to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Kharge said that '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'.
Condemning the move as 'objectionable', he said: 'We saw this yesterday and we saw this today as well. Has our Parliament been reduced to such a level?'
'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.
Congress general secretary, communications and party's chief whip in RS, Jairam Ramesh said: 'After the sudden and unprecedented resignation of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Jagdeep Dhankhar), we are now seeing the takeover of the chamber of the Council of States by the personnel of the CISF'.
Calling the incident 'unprecedented', TMC's RS member Derek O'Brien accused the NDA government of being 'scared' of discussing in the House Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
'Marshals (or CISF personnel) preemptively barricade Well. AITC, DMK & AAP MPs barred from entering the Well. Never seen anything like this before,' he said.
Responding to the issue flagged by the Opposition members, Rijiju said that some MPs moved 'aggressively' in RS to prevent its proceedings, prompting marshals to prevent them as he asserted that it is not the government but for the respective Chair of the two Houses to take measures he deems fit.
Rijiju said CISF personnel are part of the security apparatus after the incident of two intruders jumping into Lok Sabha and opening smoke canisters, adding that there have been cases of MPs even jumping over the secretariat table within the House.
He said he is eliciting information from RS as to what happened exactly and assured the Opposition that he will consult the Chair if they have any issue.
Nothing will be done that comes in the way of MPs using their privilege or taking up their issues but they also have no right to prevent others from speaking and snatching the rights of other members, he said.
Asked about Kharge's objections to the presence of CISF, the minister said that the security system has been updated after 'some ugly incidents'. He said: 'Certain decisions were taken. The administrative mechanism within the premises of Parliament is not under the government of India so I cannot exactly comment on what should be done.'
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