Cabinet ministers absent, Upper House adjourned
NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Friday saw an unusual brief adjournment as no cabinet minister was present in the House when the session began. The proceedings were halted for 10 minutes after the Opposition raised the absence of any cabinet minister. Shortly after the Upper House paid homage to those who foiled the terror attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001, Opposition MPs pointed out that no cabinet minister was present. Chairman CP Radhakrishnan said he would take up the matter with the government and asked a junior minister to request a cabinet minister to be present in the House. I understand the procedure. I have requested the minister. One of the cabinet ministers should come, he said. The Opposition, however, remained dissatisfied and insisted that proceedings be adjourned until a cabinet minister arrives. This is an insult to the House. You have to adjourn the House till a cabinet minister comes, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. After waiting for about five minutes, Radhakrishnan adjourned the Upper House for 10 minutes. When the Rajya Sabha reconvened, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed regret over the absence of cabinet ministers. Rijiju explained that he had been required in the Lok Sabha to mourn the death of former speaker and former home minister Shivraj Patil. He added that Leader of the House J P Nadda also had questions listed in his name in the Lok Sabha, so he was participating in the proceedings of the Lower House. I regret that a cabinet minister was not there (in the RS), Rijiju said. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that Patil had also been a member of the Rajya Sabha, so the Upper House should also mourn his death. Responding to it, Rijiju said that the secretariat is working on fixing the time for condolences. When the House reassembled, Rijiju, Nadda, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were among the ministers present in the House.
13 C
