Issues ranging from fuel price hike to clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar hooch tragedy rocked Parliament on Thursday with Opposition parties disrupting proceedings of both the Houses.

In the Lok Sabha, dissatisfied with the reply of Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri over the rise in prices of petrol and diesel in the country, Opposition MPs, including those from Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, TRS, YSR Congress and Left parties, created ruckus and staged a walkout in the House.

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Responding to a question asked by Lok Sabha MP K Muraleedharan during the Question Hour, Hardeep Puri said, “While the average price of Indian basket of crude oil increased by 102 per cent (from $43.34 to $87.55) between November 2020 and November 2022, the retail prices of petrol and diesel have increased in India by only 18.95 per cent and 26.5 per cent during this period.”

“To insulate the Indian consumers from the impact of high international crude oil prices, the Central Government reduced the Central Excise duty twice on 21 November 2021 and 22 May 2022, effecting a cumulative reduction of Rs 13 and 16 per litre for petrol and diesel respectively, which was fully passed on to consumers. Following these reductions in Central Excise duty, some of the states/UTs also reduced Value Added Tax (VAT) rates on petrol and diesel,” the minister informed.

Puri said BJP-ruled states as also many other states worked to provide relief to the public by reducing VAT rates, but the state governments of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala didn’t reduce VAT to provide relief to the public.

Discontent with the Petroleum Minister’s reply, the Opposition parties started creating ruckus and staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, the issue of India-China border clash was raised again during proceedings of both Houses of the Parliament on Thursday.

In the Lower House of the Parliament, Congress MP Manish Tewari gave an Adjournment Motion notice to discuss the “grave situation at the border with China in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh”.

“I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely :- That this House do suspend Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to have a detailed discussion on the grave situation at the border with China in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh,” he wrote to the Secretary-General, Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile in the Upper House of Parliament, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh sought Rajya Sabha Secretary General’s permission to raise India-China border issue during the Zero Hour in the House.

Terming the matter “urgent”, Singh in a letter to the Secretary General, said: “First Galvan, then Doklam, now the case of Tawang has come to the fore. The Indian Army has always protected the borders of the country with its pride, bravery and valor. But when our Army asks for permission to take direct action, the government does not give permission to retaliate”.

Other issues including Bihar hooch tragedy echoed in the Rajya Saha in the early hours on Thursday leading to the adjournment of the House thrice within a short period of 40 minutes with both treasury benches and the Opposition raising their matters.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from Bihar raised the Bihar hooch tragedy issue soon after the Upper House assembled for the day at 11 am and the Deputy Chairman Harivansh allowed Zero Hour.

The Opposition parties also raised other issues along with the news of the clash between Indian and Chinese troops on the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.

“Please let the House function. This is Zero Hour which is very important. Please take your seats,” requested the Deputy Chairman. As the ruckus continued, Harivansh announced the adjournment of the House thrice within 40 minutes.

The treasury benches raised a hooch tragedy in Bihar’s Chapra which has claimed 39 lives on Wednesday in Bihar’s Saran district by consuming spurious liquor at a local joint.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP (Uddhav Thackeray) Shiv Sena, gave suspension of Business Notice in the Upper House under rule 267 to discuss the subversion of Independence of Institutions like Enforcement Directorate, Election Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation and others.

“I hereby give notice under rule 267 of rules of procedures and conduct of business in the Council of States of my intention to move the following motion in the House on December 15, 2022 that this House will suspend the business of the House on December 15 to discuss the subversion of Independence of Institution like ED, IT, CBI, EC, CVC and CIC”, read the letter by Priyanaka Chaturvedi to Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha.

Parliament has witnessed multiple disruptions this week with both Houses rejecting the opposition’s requests for a discussion on the India-China border situation following the Tawang clash in Arunachal Pradesh.

On Wednesday, as many as 17 Opposition parties staged a walkout from the Parliament accusing the Government of not holding a discussion over the December 9 clashes along the Line of Actual Control between the Indian and Chinese forces in the Tawang sector.