New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) The Lok Sabha was adjourned several times on Friday, for the first time in the ongoing Monsoon session, after a fierce opposition created an uproar during noisy clash with the
Treasury bench members over the issue of PM-CARES fund.
The House was adjourned four times, for half-an-hour each time -- till 1620 hrs, 1700 hrs, 1730 hrs and 1800 hrs.
The matter erupted when while defending PM-CARES fund, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur made remarks against Congress leaders.
Congress and Trinamool Congress MPs protested over the remarks and Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House for half an hour.
Mr Thakur referred to the remarks of the opposition parties regarding the PM-CARES fund and said that there is no error of any kind and the opposition should not have any doubt about it. He said the fund has been created in accordance with the rules.
He also referred to the PM National Relief Fund and said that it was formed by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's government in 1958. He said that this fund was created soon after independence but surprisingly the PMNRF is not yet registered.
Without naming anyone, he said the fund was created only for the benefit of 'one family'.
His remarks infuriated the Congress members who were agitated and demanded an apology
from him and staged a walkout.
Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury objected to Mr Thakur's remarks and
said that in such a way, those leaders who are no longer in the world can not be named.
Meanwhile, BJP lawmaker Locket Chatterjee said something on which AITC member Kalyan Banerjee got agitated.
The Speaker asked the members to calm down and said that he was not going to work under
pressure from anyone.
Saying this, the Speaker adjourned the house for half an hour.
In the second instance, Rama Devi was presiding over the proceedings and the opposition members were heard demanding presence of the Speaker in the House.
As loud protests continued from the opposition benches, the House was adjourned for half an hour.
After the House reassembled after first adjournment at 1620 hrs and then at 1700 hrs , the members of Congress shouted slogans demanding apology from Mr Thakur over his remarks.
At 1730 hrs, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, announced the fourth announcement amid din.
Earlier, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Taxationand Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 for consideration of the House.
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