Shiv Sena denies manhandling of Parliament marshals; MP Sanjay Raut calls it 'protest'

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, on Friday, 13 August 2021, called the centre responsible for the jostling that took place between Opposition MPs and marshals in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Denying allegations of causing problems in the house, Raut said that the opposition merely protested and didn’t ‘misbehave’. Earlier, the opposition MPs also accused Parliament marshals of manhandling them amid the pandemonium that unfolded inside the house on August 11.

Sanjay Raut denies opposition causing ruckus

Speaking about the internal security report of Rajya Sabha on the pandemonium when the bill on insurance business was taken up, the Shiv Sena leader on Friday said the opposition protested because the government 'backtracked' on its word. Raut also defended MP Anil Desai breaking the security cordon by saying that, “Desai is the leader of insurance workers, he had to make his point”.

“The government is responsible for the misbehaviour in the Rajya Sabha. I met the Rajya Sabha Chairman yesterday with all the other opposition leaders to brief him about the incident. If there was an agreement between the government and the opposition, especially on the insurance bill, then why didn’t they keep their word? They introduced the bill at 8 pm at night. What is that? We requested them to introduce the bill the next day and have a discussion on it. There was no misbehaviour, it was protest,” Raut said.  

Meanwhile, two security officials have submitted written complaints against the opposition members for their behaviour in the house. The alleged MPs can be seen jostling with marshals in the CCTV footage of the events. Marshals can also be seen defending the Chairman’s podium from the opposition MPs.

Government condemns the action of the Opposition

The Centre on Thursday formed a committee to probe the mishandling of a woman marshal in the Parliament during the pandemonium. The woman marshal, who was trying to keep the woman Parliamentarians at bay, was pushed and attacked by other members as seen in CCTV footage of the session. A total of 30 Marshals, as per the information provided by the government, were deployed to control the lingering ruckus, of which 12 were women while 18 were men. The Government condemned the action of the Opposition.

Opposition continues with ruckus 

Since the commencement of the Monsoon Session on July 19, the Parliament has been marked by sloganeering, leaders rushing to the Well of the House with placards, tearing of papers, as a sign of protest against a gamut of issues, starting from the Pegasus report to the Farm laws. The scene was no different on Wednesday and Thursday. The two days were marked by MPs gathering around the well in the Rajya Sabha, raised slogans, and tore pieces of paper, and throw them up in the air. The sessions were once again adjourned.

IMAGE: PTI