Washout of proceedings in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha
Parliament was rocked by opposition protests over the ongoing voter-roll revision in Bihar on Tuesday, leading to a washout of proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the second day of the Monsoon session.
As the Rajya Sabha convened for the day, Deputy Chairman Harivansh made a reference to the vacancy in the vice president’s office, citing provisions in the Constitution, amid opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, leading to an adjournment of the proceedings.
When the House re-convened at noon, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ghanshyam Tiwari said the home ministry has issued a notification regarding the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
In the Lok Sabha, carrying placards and raising slogans, opposition members trooped to the Well of the House at 11 am and demanded a rollback of the SIR exercise.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan appealed to the opposition members to allow the Question Hour to continue. As his plea went unheeded, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till noon.
Similar scenes were witnessed when the Lok Sabha reconvened at noon and BJP member Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm after the laying of parliamentary papers on the table of the House. The opposition continued with its demand for a discussion on the SIR when the House reconvened at 2 pm, even as Dilip Saikia, who was in the chair, appealed to them to allow the House to function.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the opposition for disrupting the House. He said the government has agreed to their demand for a discussion on Operation Sindoor and also fixed a time for the same.
“Now, you want discussions on all other issues at the same time. How is this possible?” Rijiju asked as the opposition members continued to raise slogans and wave placards. Rijiju said the opposition is wasting taxpayers’ money by resorting to protests and disrupting the proceedings of the House. As the protests continued, Saikia adjourned the proceedings for the day.
The Rajya Sabha too was adjourned for the day without transacting any business after an uproar by opposition members over several issues, including a discussion on the SIR.
The Upper House saw two adjournments during the pre-lunch period, before it was finally adjourned within minutes of meeting at 2 pm.