Parliament was adjourned for the day on Monday without transacting any business as the deadlock continued between the ruling and the opposition parties over Rahul Gandhi’s alleged ‘anti-India’ remark in Loonon and a demand for a Joint-Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the charges of share manipulation against the Adani business Group.
Both the houses of Parliament have not conducted any business since the start of the second-leg of the budget session on March 13.
In a repeat of scenes of the earlier days, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla again asked agitating members to come to his chamber to discuss issues and find a way out.
“You come, sit and discuss. Both the ruling side and opposition come to the chamber and discuss. We will find a solution and run the House. We will discuss your topics and issues also,” he said after the house resumed proceedings for the day and members of the treasury benches raised the issue of Rahul’s remarks.
Countering the treasury benches, opposition members, including those from the Congress, also shouted slogans demanding a JPC probe into alleged stock manipulation by the Adani Group.
“Sit down. Let the Question Hour continue….Nation wants to watch the House proceedings. This House belongs to you,” Speaker Birla said in an effort to bring the House in order.He also assured the members that they will get adequate opportunity to speak as per rules after the Question Hour.
The Speaker also objected to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member Harsimrat Kaur Badal showing a placard from her seat, saying it was not allowed in the House.
“Please allow Parliament function” was written on one side of the SAD member’s placard while “save democracy” was written on the other side.
As the members refused to relent, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm. It was adjourned for the day after it resumed in the afternoon.
Rajya Saba too was adjourned for the day in the afternoon after its proceedings remained derailed in the morning session.
As soon as the Upper House reassembled for the afternoon session, after being adjourned in the morning session, Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked Sujeet Kumar (BJD) to raise a discussion on the working of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship amid sloganeering by the treasury bench and the opposition members.
Even as Kumar tried to speak, the slogan shouting continued, forcing the deputy chairman to adjourn the House for the day.
Earlier, as the House assembled for the day, the ruling and opposition parties traded barbs over Rahul’s remark in London and the demand for the probe into allegations against the Adani Group.
During the morning session, as the ruling BJP and the opposition parties kept shouting slogans, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
Dhankhar said he had received notices under rule 267-9 from Congress members, including Pramod Tiwari, Rajneet Ranjan, Kumar Ketkar, Syed Nasir Hussain, Amee Yajnik, AKhilesh Prasad Singh, Neeraj Dangi and Mukul Wasnik, to discuss the failure of the government to constitute a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into allegations of accounting fraud and stock market manipulation against the Adani Group.