Oppn stalls Rajya Sabha proceedings demanding discussion on price rice, other issues

Rajya Sabha could not transact any significant business on Tuesday as opposition parties, including the Congress, disrupted proceedings demanding discussions on issues ranging from price rise to the Agnipath scheme.

The House had witnessed similar disruptions on Monday at the start of the Monsoon Session Amid slogan-shouting by the opposition MPs, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar moved the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022.

The minister said there is a need to amend the WMD Act, 2005 to enact legal provisions relating to the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.

The House witnessed vociferous protests from opposition MPs as it met in the morning, forcing the Chair to adjourn proceedings till 1400 hrs. Members of the Congress, the Left, and the AAP insisted on taking up discussions on the issues raised by them.

When the House re-assembled, Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked Jaishankar to move The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill.

In the meanwhile, the opposition parties again started sloganeering to press for their demand for discussion.

Amid the din, the Chair permitted Leader of Opposition and senior Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge to speak.

As Kharge tried to raise the matters flagged by the opposition parties since Monday in the House, Harivansh asked him to speak on the Bill saying MPs can only speak on the issues listed in the business schedule.

The Deputy Chairman then asked the external affairs minister to speak and the latter introduced the bill amid continued sloganeering by the opposition parties.

The Chair then adjourned the proceedings till Wednesday morning.

While speaking on the bill, Jaishankar said the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems Act, 2005 prohibits unlawful activities in respect of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and their delivery systems.

In recent years, he said international regulations relating to weapons of mass destruction have been strengthened.

''In particular, the United Nations Security Council decisions and Financial Action Task Force recommendations have mandated provisions against financing in relation to weapons of mass destruction,'' the minister said.

At present, he said there are no specific provisions in the WMD Act, 2005 relating to the prohibition or prevention of financing of prohibited WMD activities.

''Therefore, there is a need to amend the WMD Act, 2005 to enact legal provisions relating to the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems,'' he said.

The Bill has already been passed by Lok Sabha.