LS Speaker agrees to opposition demand, defers introduction of industrial relations code bill

The introduction of the Industrial Relations Code, 2019 was postponed by the Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday following the objection raised by the opposition parties. The speaker has accepted the opposition's demand for providing time to read the bill thoroughly. Now, the will be tabled on Friday in the Lok Sabha.

New Delhi:Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday asked Union Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar to defer the introduction of Industrial Relations Code, 2019 by a day after the opposition objected to its introduction over not having enough time to study the bill.

As the minister sought to introduce the bill, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it was a bill with wide ramifications and urged the chair not to call the minister.

"Minister, agreeing to the objection of the opposition, introduce the bill tomorrow," the Speaker said.

Chowdhury demanded that the bill should be brought after two days but Speaker said he has already given directions keeping in mind the demand of the opposition.

As opposition members including Chowdhury and Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay demanded that the bill be sent to the standing committee, Speaker asked the minister not to talk about the demand.

BJP member Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that members were not listening to the Chair. He said Bandyopadhyay was making out of context remarks, the minister was ready to send the bill to the standing committee. "How will the House run like this," he asked.

Rudy also objected when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the government was willing to send the bill to the standing committee.

Joshi, however, shot back and asked why the member was speaking.

The minister said that the government is sending it to the standing committee but the Speaker said he has already given directions to introduce the bill after two days.

"At that time we will debate whether it has to be sent to the standing committee. Do not make a system of sending every bill to the standing committee," Birla said.