MPs gather in the Well of the House on Monday
In rare show of interest in Parliamentary proceedings, Rahul Gandhi joined colleagues in the Well but didn't raise slogans.
The first day of the Budget Session of the Parliament got off to a stormy start on Monday with a rare show of unity by all opposition parties, as the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI-M and TRS joining hands to corner the government on a host of issues including price rise.
It also saw, for the first time, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi - known to be a 'backbencher' in Lok Sabha - in agitation mode as he followed other Opposition MPs into the Well of the House and stood in the aisle, near NCP MP Supriya Sule.
Often accused of not taking interest in Parliamentary proceedings, Rahul accompanied protesting MPs but did not take part in the sloganeering as Sonia Gandhi looked on from the front row.
In the past, Rahul has taken part in a few debates, including discussions on the Lokpal Bill in the last Lok Sabha. He had also reportedly refused to take the responsibility of leader of the Congress Parliament Party. BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy took a swipe at Rahul, saying the Congress leader has become more active after his party came into Opposition.
Uniting on multiple issues, Opposition parties moved as many as four adjournment motions including on the rail fare hike (TMC), price rise (Congress, CPI-M) and special police powers for the Telangana governor (TRS).
The ensuing uproar from the Opposition benches saw Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned without any business being transacted, though she accepted the notice on price rise moved by CPI-M member P Karunakaran for a short duration under Rule 193.
Mahajan said she had rejected notices for adjournment motions, but accepted six notices for discussion under Rule 193. She even called P Karunakaran (CPI-M) to initiate the discussion.
Sharing concern over price rise, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government was ready to discuss the matter immediately and left it to the Speaker to decide under which Rule it should be done.
As if backing the demand, Karunkaran remained absent from the House, even though his name was called out. "Karunakaran could not have spoken when there so much chaos in the House. We wanted the House to be in order," said CPI-M MP Md Salim.
When the House met again at 2 pm, Deputy Leader of the Congress party Amarinder Singh said people were starving and "food prices are rising to terrible levels...how can the common man survive? We don't want only a discussion but an answer from the government. We want voting in the House because it is an important issue".
Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi made a strong pitch for her party being given the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, contending that it is the single largest party in the opposition.
The first day of the Budget Session of the Parliament got off to a stormy start on Monday with a rare show of unity by all opposition parties, as the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI-M and TRS joining hands to corner the government on a host of issues including price rise.
It also saw, for the first time, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi - known to be a 'backbencher' in Lok Sabha - in agitation mode as he followed other Opposition MPs into the Well of the House and stood in the aisle, near NCP MP Supriya Sule.
Often accused of not taking interest in Parliamentary proceedings, Rahul accompanied protesting MPs but did not take part in the sloganeering as Sonia Gandhi looked on from the front row.
In the past, Rahul has taken part in a few debates, including discussions on the Lokpal Bill in the last Lok Sabha. He had also reportedly refused to take the responsibility of leader of the Congress Parliament Party. BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy took a swipe at Rahul, saying the Congress leader has become more active after his party came into Opposition.
Uniting on multiple issues, Opposition parties moved as many as four adjournment motions including on the rail fare hike (TMC), price rise (Congress, CPI-M) and special police powers for the Telangana governor (TRS).
The ensuing uproar from the Opposition benches saw Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned without any business being transacted, though she accepted the notice on price rise moved by CPI-M member P Karunakaran for a short duration under Rule 193.
Mahajan said she had rejected notices for adjournment motions, but accepted six notices for discussion under Rule 193. She even called P Karunakaran (CPI-M) to initiate the discussion.
Sharing concern over price rise, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government was ready to discuss the matter immediately and left it to the Speaker to decide under which Rule it should be done.
As if backing the demand, Karunkaran remained absent from the House, even though his name was called out. "Karunakaran could not have spoken when there so much chaos in the House. We wanted the House to be in order," said CPI-M MP Md Salim.
When the House met again at 2 pm, Deputy Leader of the Congress party Amarinder Singh said people were starving and "food prices are rising to terrible levels...how can the common man survive? We don't want only a discussion but an answer from the government. We want voting in the House because it is an important issue".
Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi made a strong pitch for her party being given the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, contending that it is the single largest party in the opposition.
