The government's version about rules being followed during the passage of farm bills in Rajya Sabha on September 20 has been put to question by television footage of the proceedings accessed by NDTV. The passage of the bills has been a matter of huge contention, with eight members of the opposition being suspended from the house by Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu, following an uproar during the proceedings.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh and the government have justified passing the farm bills through voice vote, saying that the Opposition weren't in their seats when they demanded for division of votes.
Opposition Parties have contended that they had to come to the Well of the House to protest only because the chair violated the rules of the house. The disruption, they said, started around 1 pm, when the Deputy Chairman extended the house proceedings without taking consensus of the house.
DMK MP Trichy Siva, who is a member of parliament for the last two decades, told NDTV: "At around 1 PM, when the Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar was replying to the discussion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi got up and proposed to extend the house. Usually, the house is extended after taking consensus of the house but the Deputy Chairman who was presiding over the house that day without even looking at our side, just looking at the treasury benches, extended the house despite members from 12 opposition parties on their feet asking for adjournment. This is in clear violation of Rajya Sabha Rule 37."
Addressing the media after the proceedings, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said: "Proceedings were going on peacefully. Parliamentary Affairs Minister wanted the house to be extended till the passing of the bills. This is a normal practice in the parliament. Sense of the house is not gathered by majority and minority. After this opposition parties came to the well of the house and started ruckus."
The Rajya Sabha footage accessed by NDTV showed at around 1.03 pm, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said "Opposition parties are saying that time should not be extended today and tomorrow the minister can reply..."
Citing this, Opposition parties claim that there was no consensus in the house to extend the proceedings and the chair, in an unprecedented manner, extended the house without taking opposition into consideration.
