New Delhi: The Opposition Congress, supported by TMC and JD (U), forced four procedural deferrals on the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday about what it called “the biggest scam of this century” in printing two different types Of 500 and 2000 rupee notes.
Congressional members of Congress gathered at the well, though House Speaker and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the opposition party has been raising “frivolous” issues without giving the notice to stop The Zero Hour procedures.
They were supported by Sharad Yadav (JD-U), who showed copies of some foreign currency notes.
Some members, including Derek O’Brien (TMC), showed the new 500 rupee notes issued after demonetization to show the different sizes they brought printed.
First, he offered to send the notes to Jaitley for his scrutiny and then approached him to explain the difference. He, however, did not leave the notes with the Minister of Finance.
Jaitley said there is no provision in the rules that anyone can “show any role and say it’s a point of order.”
“There is a misuse of the zero hours that is going on,” he said, adding that Congress first raised the issue of the provision of None-of-It-Up (NOTE) in voting for Rajya Sabha poll, but then Discovered that during his rule.
“You have been posting frivolous problems in Zero Hour without giving notice” in order to interrupt and not get answers, he said but did not respond to oppositions of the opposition in notes of different sizes.
Kapil Sibal (Cong) said that different sizes of the new high denomination coin are being printed, “one for the governing party (members) and one for the others.”
“Today we have discovered the reason why the government did the demonetization (of the old 500 and 2000 rupees in November last year),” he said.
Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) said: “this is the biggest scam in this century”.
As Lawyer Ravi Shankar Prasad and State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, Azad said two types of bills are being printed.
“The government has no right to remain in office for not even five minutes,” he said.
Vice President P J Kurien said that even if there are two types of notes, there can be a point of order. “You raise the question in a different way.”
“It’s a serious matter,” O’Brien said while displaying two 500 rupee notes he said were different in size and design.
Prasad asked the members of the opposition to explain where they got the notes from the coin.
Sharad Yadav (JD-U) said no country in the world has two notes of different sizes. “One is bigger, one is smaller,” he said. “I can sign (copies of notes)”.
Kurien said he is not an expert to examine the notes.
“You give a separate notice.”
“I’ll give the Minister of Finance,” O’Brien said.
Kurien said that “give it to the Minister of Finance, I have no objection.”
Anand Sharma (Cong) said that the credibility of the currency in circulation has been questioned.
Kurien, however, said that the issue can not be addressed through a point of order and members have to give separate notice.
Pramod Tiwari (Cong) said he was given notice, to which Kurien said the president will examine them.
As the noise continued, Kurien postponed the proceedings for 15 minutes.
After the suspension, when Kurien again asked members to give notice of the matter, O’Brien said he had given notice for the discussion on demonetization over the last three weeks, but the government has not yet listed the issue.
As the noise continued, Kurien postponed the House until noon.
Similar noisy scenes were witnessed when the time of the question was taken up by President Hamid Ansari, who postponed the procedure for another 15 minutes.
When the Assembly reconvened, the members of the opposition continued to shout, forcing Ansari to lift the House until one o’clock.
