NEW DELHI: Senior BJP MP Bishupada Ray, who holds the sole parliamentary seat for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, expressed his frustration in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday when he was unable to raise concerns about his constituency as the Zero Hour concluded. Ray’s fellow party members were compelled to intervene to calm him, as he stood in his seat within the fourth row of the treasury benches, visibly upset, with his anger seemingly directed at BJP chief whip Sanjay Jaiswal, who was seated nearby.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijuju, along with senior party members Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jagadambika Pal, and Nishikant Dubey, hurried to his side in an effort to soothe him, while members from the opposition took jabs at the treasury benches, coinciding with the commencement of discussions on the demands for grants at 1 PM in Lok Sabha. The uproar persisted for approximately five minutes before Ray stormed out of the House.
Ray later conveyed to the TOI that he has been consistently trying to bring issues concerning the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the House’s attention but has yet to receive an opportunity. “The situation in the islands is dire, and the government is neglecting it… everything is deteriorating… I have been attempting to raise these matters in every session,” he stated upon returning to the House after 5:30 PM, mentioning that he had been called back to address the concerns he had been advocating for.
As he began to raise his voice while seated among the treasury benches, the attention of other members shifted towards him. Rijuju approached him to try and calm his agitation. Holding a stack of papers, Ray appeared infuriated at his requests not being acknowledged. While Pal urged him to settle down, Ray responded sharply.
Opposition MPs took the opportunity to criticize the treasury benches, with AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi requesting the chair to allow Ray to speak, asserting that "his voice is being stifled,” while Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi urged the chair to restore calm, remarking that “the noise was emanating from the treasury benches.”
After briefly leaving the House post-Zero Hour, Ray returned shortly and was seen engaging with Congress MPs during discussions on the supplementary demands for grants, additional grants, and the Manipur Budget.
