Yahoo Finance Pegasus row: TMC MP accuses Union Minister Hardeep Puri of verbally abusing him in Rajya Sabha
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Shantanu Sen on Thursday alleged that Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri abused him in the Rajya Sabha and was on the verge of physically assaulting him before he was rescued by colleagues.
Sen, who snatched papers from Communications and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Rajya Sabha and tore them as he was making a statement on the snooping issue, claimed that Puri even rudely gesticulated at him.
Puri has so far not reacted on the issue.
Opposition TMC MPs on Thursday tore papers and flung them into the air, throwing the Rajya Sabha into bedlam as IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw read a statement on the alleged snooping using an Israeli company spyware Pegasus.
TMC and other opposition party members rushed into the well of the House as Vaishnaw was called to make a statement over the issue.
They shouted slogans and tore papers that appeared to be copies of the statement that the minister was to make.
As papers were flung into the air, the minister could not complete his statement and instead laid a copy of it on the table of the House.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked members to desist from unparliamentary behaviour, before adjourning the proceedings of the House for the rest of the day.
Opposition MPs had stalled the proceedings in the earlier part of the day as well, forcing two adjournments with not even officially listed papers being allowed to be laid.
They shouted slogans over alleged snooping and other issues.
Meanwhile, the farmers’ issue is set to gain traction once again as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) an umbrella body of protesting farm unions, will be holding a series of demonstrations at the Jantar Mantar near Parliament in New Delhi from today. The farmers’ movement was granted permission to hold a demonstration at the site, on the condition that only a maximum of 200 protestors will be allowed till August 9. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait confirmed that a total of 200 farmers under the SKM will daily go to the Jantar Mantar in a bus as has been allowed by Anil Baijal, the lieutenant-governor of Delhi.
Protesting farmers have also been asked to provide an affidavit declaring that all Covid-19 norms will be followed and that the movement will be peaceful. The demonstrators will be met with heavy security deployment in the area amid the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. The protesting farmers have said their demonstrations against the three agri laws passed by the central government will continue till August 13, if the monsoon session of Parliament is to end on that day. However, Delhi’s lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal has only allowed the farmers to continue their protest demonstrations till August 9.
(Inputs from News18 and other agencies)
