RS adjourned on issue of agitating workers

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 1230 hrs today following pandemonium, with the Left parties, Samajwadi Party and Telugu Desam Party demanding that the House be adjourned to express solidarity with the agitating workers of PSUs and unorganised sector.

The CPI(M) asked the UPA government to fill the gap between ''India Shining and India Suffering'' soon by bringing an effective economic policy which was meant for people's welfare and which understands their demands.

The BJP, however, charged the UPA government with being ''anti-worker'' and said even the Left party had closed down thousands of units in West Bengal which was against workers interest.

Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan repeatedly pleaded with the members to allow the house to function. He said if they wanted, they could go out so that the House could proceed as it had important business to transact. However, since the members of the Left parties, SP, TDP and AIADMK members continued with their demand he adjourned the House for ten minutes till 1230.

Raising the issue of agitation by workers of PSUs and other units during zero hour, Mr Sitaram Yechury CPI(M) said a countrywide ''industrial hartal'' is going on and to express solidarity with the workers, the MPs of the Left parties have decided to forgo their daily allowance.

He urged the Chair to adjourn the House to express solidarity with the workers.

Mr Yechury said workers of the organised sector were often accused of only agitating for their demand but this time their protest demonstration is aimed at protecting the rights of their counterparts in the unorganised and agricultural sector. The party's charter of demands include a comprehensive legistation for agriculture and unorganised sector.

''We should take advantage of this agitation and work to protect the rights of workers,'' he said.

Admitting that the UPA government had accepted their demands under the Common Minimum Programme, he said now was the time to implement all the promises made in the CMP.

Asking the UPA government to learn a lesson from the India Shining Campaign of the previous NDA government, Mr Yechury asked the government to fill the ''gap between India Shining and India Suffering'' soon by making the economic policy people oriented.

Mr Yechury said the 16 point charter of demand of the agitating workers include checking of inflation and strengthening Public Distribution System, a comprehensive legislation for unorganised sector, revival of sick PSUs and no FDI in defence and other PSUs of strategic importance.

Supporting Mr Yechury's demand that the House should not function today to express solidarity with the agitating workers, members of the Samajwadi Party, TDP, AIADMK and other left parties stood up shouting slogans that the UPA government was anti-worker.

They also insisted on stalling the proceedings of the House.

However, the Chair ruled that the House be allowed to work and if they wanted they could go out.

Meanwhile, BJP member Rudra Narayan Pani went into the well of the House accusing both the UPA government and Left parties of being anti-workers. On being directed by the Chair to go to his seat to make his statement, Mr Pani said the UPA government has forgotten the workers and has adopted anti-workers policy.

He also said the Left which is trying to project itself as the well-wisher of labour class has closed down 20,000 industrial units in West Bengal due to which workers have become unemployed.

However, since the members of Left parties, SP, TDP, AIADMK and RJD remained on their feet demanding adjournment of the house, Mr Khan adjourned the proceedings for ten minutes.

UNI

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