LS Speaker Urges Opposition To End Protests As House Logjam Continues
Question Hour Disrupted For 18th Straight Day Amid Row Over Ram Temple Donations, Student Protests
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday appealed to protesting Opposition members to allow the House to function, saying that despite differences in approach and political thinking, the country expects Parliament to discharge its responsibilities.
Birla's appeal, however, failed to break the deadlock, with Opposition MPs continuing their protests and raising slogans over the alleged theft of donations made to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and alleged police excesses against student protesters.
The Speaker subsequently adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm as the Opposition remained unrelenting.
Speaker Appeals For Order
Addressing the protesting MPs, Birla said members could have different approaches and thoughts from those of the ruling front, but the larger responsibility was to ensure that Parliament functioned properly.
He also appealed to Opposition members not to tarnish the image of the House by staging protests and shouting slogans.
The Speaker's remarks came as Opposition MPs continued to raise issues that have led to a prolonged stalemate between the government and the Opposition during the Monsoon Session.
Despite repeated appeals from the Chair, the protests prevented normal proceedings from taking place.
Question Hour Disrupted Again
Question Hour on Wednesday lasted for less than three minutes before the proceedings were disrupted.
It was the 18th consecutive day on which Question Hour was disrupted. Since the Monsoon Session began on July 20, the Question Hour has not been completed even once.
The continued disruptions have significantly affected the functioning of the Lok Sabha, with the government and Opposition remaining at odds over several contentious issues.
The Opposition has been demanding answers from the government on the alleged police action against students who marched towards Parliament on July 20 over the NEET paper leak issue.
Opposition Protest At Parliament
Earlier in the day, Opposition MPs staged a protest in the Parliament House Complex, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among those participating.
The protesting MPs gathered near Makar Dwar carrying placards and raising slogans against the BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah.
They demanded that Shah come to Parliament and make a statement on alleged police excesses against student protesters during their July 20 Parliament march.
The Opposition also raised allegations concerning the handling of donations collected for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
MPs from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress stood behind a large banner questioning who was responsible for the alleged loss of temple donations.
Priyanka Targets Government
Priyanka Gandhi strongly criticised the government over the police action against students and questioned the government's accountability.
She said the Home Minister should answer questions concerning alleged use of force against protesters and asked whether the Opposition was expected to remain silent.
The INDIA bloc has maintained that both the Ram temple donation issue and alleged police action against young protesters require discussion in Parliament.
Opposition parties have been pressing for Shah's presence in the House and a detailed statement from him for more than three weeks.
The government has offered a debate and a response from the Home Minister, but the proposal has failed to resolve the impasse.
The Congress has insisted that any response from Shah should specifically address allegations about who ordered the use of force, including the alleged firing of pellets against students.
The party has also described a discussion on the alleged theft of Ram temple donations as a non-negotiable demand.
With both sides holding their positions, the Parliament deadlock continued on Wednesday, leaving the functioning of the Lok Sabha once again severely curtailed.
