General Insurance Amendment Bill passed in Rajya Sabha despite Opposition’s anti
On Wednesday the contentious General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 was passed in Rajya Sabha even though the Opposition continued its demands of sending legislation to a select committee for review. The bill would allow the government to drop down its share in private sector insurance companies. This would lay down the path for more private sector participation. The bill had already been passed in the Lok Sabha on August 2.
National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were both passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Opposition parties stood united in their call to send the legislature to a select committee. YSR Congress MP Vijaysai Reddy and TDP MP K. Ravindra Kumar urged the government to send legislature to a select committee to help understand ramifications and larger picture of the law. RJD MP Manoj K Jha said, “I ask the Chair too how can you sit and let this happen.”
Chaos ensued in the Rajya Sabha as MPs created ruckus over Bill. The Chair, BJD MP Sasmit Patra adjourned the House after CPI MP Binoy Viswam tried to climb on to the reporter’s table amid discussions on the Bill. Soon a human chain was formed around the table by at least 10 women marshals and 50 men.
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Opposition members were blocked from entering the well. On House resumption, Ripun Bora and Syed Naseer Hussain (Congress), Binoy Viswam (CPI) and CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareem had clashed with marshals as they tried to push their way through. This continued even as speeches were going on.
Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said as Congress MPs walked out in protest, “We are all peace-loving people. So many male and female marshals created a shield… Lady members are insulted here. Marshals are pushing. We are not safe and our lady members are not safe. So we protest.”
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that male marshals in the House were manhandling women MPs. AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, “Whatever happened in Parliament today is an indication of what the future holds. It is possible that armed policemen would soon be entering Parliament.”