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Demonetization debate eludes House

On Friday, the roles were reversed in House, as the ruling side created furore over Congress plea to initiate debate under no rule

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Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi at Parliament House on Friday
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A debate on demonetization eluded the House on Friday even as the Opposition was prepared for it.

For a change, it was the treasury benches that created an uproar in Lok Sabha, rejecting the Congress demand to initiate it after the Opposition was ready for discussion without a rule, climbing down from its demand for voting, towards the fag end of the Winter Session.

With just three working days left of the session, the chances of demonetization being debated in Parliament seemed narrow.

Earlier in the day, an Opposition delegation met Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who had tried to find a way out of the Opposition-Government standoff on the proposal that discussion can be held without any rule.

Later, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who had not been attending the House because of health reasons, had a separate meeting with the Speaker. Gandhi, who turned 70 on Friday, walked up to BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani before the House assembled.

The Opposition, which had been creating ruckus since start of the winter session for voting in Lok Sabha and presence of the Prime Minister in Rajya Sabha, reversed its stand after the Speaker told them that they can move a resolution at the end of debate, for seeking a vote, sources said.

However, government is insisting that a debate has already begun under rule 193, which does not entail voting.

Inside the House, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was ready with a written speech. However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, government's floor manager to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament, was on his feet to oppose the debate proposed by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

He wanted Opposition to first apologise for disruptions over the last 16 days.

"For 16 days they have disrupted the House and held the House hostage. Majority wanted to debate. But Congress, TMC and Left members were not allowing House to function. The situation has reached such a stage that the President had to speak against disruption.

They must tender apology to people of the country," he said.

Kharge sought deferment of the question hour to discuss demonetization and its repercussions, but even before he could speak, BJP members, backed by Kumar, started shouting to remind him about the President's remarks castigating disruption. A verbal duel forced a brief adjournment.

Both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned for a four-day recess, with no rapprochement in sight in a session which has been a wash-out. The blame game between the two sides continued outside Parliament.

Rahul Gandhi, who was denied an opportunity to speak, accused government of blocking the debate to prevent him from speaking. He claimed an "earthquake" would have occurred if he got the opportunity to speak.

Later, while talking to reporters, Ananth Kumar cited the rule book to say the debate on demonetization had already begun under rule 193 and could not be suspended midway for a fresh discussion on the same subject.

"Suddenly, today Rahul Gandhi came prepared. They felt that all business should be suspended forthwith and he should be allowed to speak. That's the way Congress can run, not Parliament of India," he said.

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