Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh ends 24-hour-long fast against unruly behaviour of opposition MPs

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh on Wednesday morning ended his fast that began on Tuesday morning in protest against the unruly behaviour meted out to him in the House by opposition MPs. Several opposition MPs had on Sunday heckled Harivansh during the passage of two key farm bills as he presided over the House proceedings.

Harivansh, in a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday, said that the ruckus created in the House by opposition MPs has pained him deeply. Harivansh informed that he will end his fast on Wednesday on the birthday of ‘rashtra kavi’ Ramdhari Singh Dinkar.

“My fast may perhaps inspire ‘self-purification’ in those who behaved insultingly towards me,” he wrote.

The opposition MPs created ruckus in the House on Sunday during the passage of farm bills. The MPs were demanding to send the bills to the Select Committee. But the bills – Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, were passed by voice vote.

On Monday, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu suspended eight opposition MPs for the remainder of the Monsoon Session. They are Rajeev Satav, Syed Nazir Hussain Ripun Boren (all Congress), Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen (both TMC), KK Ragesh and Elamaram Kareem (both CPM) and AAP’s Sanjay Singh.

Delhi: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh breaks his one-day fast, which he was observing against the unruly behaviour with him in the House by Opposition MPs during the passing of agriculture Bills on 20th September pic.twitter.com/F1oA10Gtf3

— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2020

Meanwhile, the government has decided to end the Monsoon Session sine die on Wednesday. The session was earlier scheduled to end on October 1.