Even as the Opposition including the Congress and Trinamool Congress(TMC) raised a din in the Rajya Sabha in the morning session on Tuesday, the House functioned with as many as 21 issues of public importance raised. Raising slogans for most part of the Zero Hour, the TMC later staged a walkout.
The Opposition parties were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) and had not allowed the House to function on Monday.
Elders from different parties on Tuesday including the Congress, meanwhile, highlighted issues like the spread of coronavirus, onion exports, Nirbhaya rape case, and locust attack on crops in some states in the pandemonium.
Noisy scenes began as soon as the House commenced proceedings and Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur rose to lay the paper listed against his name.
The moment his name was called, some opposition members started shouting slogans against him. The EC recently barred Thakur from campaigning for the Delhi assembly elections in the wake of a controversial remark made by him at a poll rally.
Soon after Chairman Naidu dismissed notices from several opposition members to suspend routine business of the day and take up issue of CAA, TMC MP Derek O'Brien insisted that his notice should be taken up. Naidu said matter could be discussed during the debate on Motion of thanks on the President's address which had mentioned CAA.
The TMC members, however, did not oblige and some of them trooped into the well of the House raising slogans like 'Goli Marna Band Karo.'
Soon, the Congress MPs also joined them in the well and raised a din.
Despite the din, the Chairman continued with Zero Hour proceedings. While opposition members stopped shouting slogans when MPs from Congress, AAP and DMK were raising their points, they again shouted slogans when MPs from ruling party or its ally stood up to speak. Some ruling party members as well as YSRCP MP V Vijyasai Reddy too objected to the selective protests by TMC and Congress.