RS adjourned for the day, govt wants to discuss Dam Safety Bill in presence of opposition

The opposition had staged the walkout to protest the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha members on Monday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the Chair to discuss the Bill on Wednesday as the government wants the opposition parties to participate in it. ''As far as I know, they (opposition parties) have walked out for the day... if they are coming tomorrow we can take up this bill tomorrow. We want to run the House with opposition and (through) discussion. Our party is the most democratic. Our leader is also very democratic,'' he said.

Since The Dam Safety Bill, 2019, was the only legislative business in the afternoon, the deputy chairman adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier, when the House resumed after lunch in the afternoon, Leader of House Piyush Goyal explained the suspension of the 12 members from the House on Monday, saying a resolution is passed for the purpose.

He demanded that all those guilty of disrupting the House in the Monsoon Session should not only apologise to the Chair but also the House and the nation as well. Explaining the incidents of disruptions in the House during the last session, Goyal said the House is a continuous institution and it cannot be said that the matter of the last session is over with the end of it.

He also said that the allegation by some of House members that the ruling party does not have the majority number in the Rajya Sabha is not true. They are welcome to discuss bills in the House and seek division. They will themselves come to know whether the government has the majority number in the House or not, Goyal said.

The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha also reiterated the chairman's direction about the discussion on the issue in the presence of the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the House.