The otherwise peaceful debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Women’s Reservation Bill on Thursday saw a brief disturbance as Opposition members walked out for about 10 minutes over a group of women raising slogans hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the visitors’ gallery. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar assured the House that an investigation will be done on how such a lapse occurred.
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“The women were taken into custody by the security staff. They will be questioned by the Delhi police,” an official said. The Lok Sabha had also witnessed similar scenes on Tuesday and Union Ministers Gajendra Shekhawat and Anurag Thakur were sent to the gallery to ensure that it is not repeated. Visitors are allowed based on written requests from MPs and they are asked to maintain the decorum when they are watching the proceedings of both the Houses.
Mr. Dhankhar said the incident would be thoroughly investigated. “I realise that it is a serious matter. We cannot allow any intrusion except by the honourable members,” he said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari demanded that strict action should be taken against the MP who facilitated the entry of the group of women to the House. “The BJP is trying to denigrate the dignity of the Rajya Sabha in a concerted manner,” he said, adding that the BJP is bringing women from neighbouring States to Parliament in an organised manner. SP MP Jaya Bachhan too asked the Chairman to look into the issue. MPs also protested when the Sansad TV showed visuals of women sitting at the visitors’ gallery. Hundreds of women visited the new Parliament House during the special session. “We came to see Modi ji,” a group of women visitors from Jaipur told The Hindu.