The steep hike in prices of fuel and cooking gas on Tuesday led to vociferous protests in Parliament. While Rajya Sabha witnessed disruptions with the Opposition forcing adjournment of proceedings, the Lok Sabha had Opposition parties stage a brief walkout. In Rajya Sabha, agitated MPs from the Congress and TMC carried placards and raised slogans. Some of them then trooped into the well of the house. The first adjournment came shortly after the proceedings commenced for the day.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow a discussion on fuel price hike. He said he had not accepted notices given by Shaktisinh Gohil (Congress), Dola Sen (TMC), V Sivadasan, Elamaram Kareem and John Brittas (CPM) under rule 267, requiring setting aside of the listed agenda to take up a discussion. As the chair started Zero Hour, the TMC members came into the well carrying placards. Congress, Left, Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena MPs were up on their feet, some shouting slogans. Naidu then adjourned the house for nearly 50 minutes at 11.10 am. Similar scenes were witnessed when the house reassembled with the determined Opposition trying to raise the issue. Deputy Chairman Harivansh tried to reason with them and appealed for smooth functioning of the Question Hour. The chair also asked TMC leader Derek O'Brien to call his party MPs back to their seats.
The protesting members did not relent and Harivansh then adjourned the house till 2pm. Petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a litre each while domestic cooking gas LPG rates were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder after four and half months.
Raising the issue after Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the opposition parties had been claiming that the prices of diesel and petrol would increase after the election process. Members of the Congress, TMC, NCP, DMK and Left parties raised slogans from their seats against fuel price hike and demanded a rollback.The opposition parties had tried to raise issue of as soon as Lok Sabha met for Question Hour, but were disallowed by Speaker Om Birla.
Birla had told the opposition parties to raise the issue after Question Hour. After question hour, Opposition leaders spoke against price hike and staged a brief walkout.