Parliament Saw Several Adjournments Amidst Protest by the Opposition over SIR

New Delhi: Parliament on Thursday saw repeated adjournments as Opposition members protested over the issue of revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

The Lok Sabha met at 11 am and was adjourned within seven minutes after congratulating the scientists for the successful launch of a rocket that placed the Nisar, an earth observation satellite jointly developed by the India and the US.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the protesting members to stop shouting slogans and go back to their seats. "You (protesting members) don't want to discuss issues?...," he said and asked whether the people had chosen them to indulge in sloganeering in the House.

When the House met again at 2 pm, the chair had to adjourn the proceedings till 4 pm as Opposition members continued their noisy protests. Some Opposition members were in the Well of the House, raising slogans as they sought to raise certain issues. Awadhesh Prasad, who was chairing the House, urged the members to take their seats but adjourned the proceedings as his pleas went unheard.

At 4 pm, Birla called Union minister Piyush Goyal to make a statement on the imposition of 25 per cent tariff by the US on India.

Soon as the statement got over, Opposition MPs rushed to the well and raised slogans. "If you want to have a discussion, go to your seats and if you want to raise slogans then hit the streets," Birla told the protesting MPs. With the opposition MPs not relenting, Birla adjourned the House for the day.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were also disrupted throughout the day as Opposition

who protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi not replying to a debate on Operation Sindoor in the House and also raised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue.

Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon amid protests by Opposition members. Deputy Chairman Harivansh cited loss of time in disruptions since the start of the monsoon session and asked MPs to allow listed business to be taken up.

But the Opposition parties continued to press for a time and date for holding a discussion on SIR. Mr Harivansh said the Opposition and Treasury benches must sit together and decide on the issue. But this did not cut much ice as Opposition MPs started raising slogans against SIR.

When the House met at 12 noon, Opposition MPs were on their feet raising slogans in support of their demand for a discussion on SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls. Ghanshyam Tiwari who was in the Chair urged the protesting MPs to maintain decorum in the House and allow the Question Hour. Unrelenting Opposition members continued to raise slogans. Some of the TMC members also trooped into the Well and continued with their sloganeering. Amid the din the Chair adjourned the House till 2 pm.

When the House met again, Sasmit Patra, who was in the Chair, allowed Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak. Kharge quoted Leader of the House JP Nadda's statement in the House in the morning session, where he said in 2008, after the Mumbai terror attack, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not replied to the debate in the Rajya Sabha and the reply was made by the then home minister in the Upper House. He said the objection, however, was to a remark made by the home minister.

The Leader of Opposition said that the home minister had said ‘main akela hi apko nipat lunga' (I can handle you myself)’ and added “He insulted all of us, and we protested against that.” "We said Prime Minister is here, please call him to the House...," he noted.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said Opposition MPs had raised slogans demanding that the Prime Minister come to the House, triggering uproar from TMC MPs. "The behaviour of TMC MPs is not right... the way Derek O'Brien is behaving is not right...," Rijiju said. The minister also said that Prime Minister Modi replied to the debate in the Lok Sabha for one hour and 42 minutes on Tuesday.

“Home minister is capable of replying to the debate (in the Rajya Sabha)...," Rijiju said. He said the government had a collective responsibility, and the Opposition would not get to decide who will speak. Meanwhile, Opposition MPs were raising slogans against SIR. As soon as Rijiju finished his statement, the Chair adjourned the House till 4.30 pm.

When the house met again at 4.30 pm, Goyal made a suo motu statement on the US tariff announcement. After its conclusion, the House was adjourned for the day.