Proceedings in both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday amid sloganeering over Rahul Gandhi's 'democracy under attack' remarks while the opposition pushed for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into alleged stock manipulation by the Adani Group.
As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, some opposition members came to the well of the house and began shouting slogans, demanding a JPC probe into alleged stock manipulation by the Adani Group. Members of treasury benches also raised counter-slogans from their seats, demanding an apology from Gandhi for his remarks.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla urged the members to allow the House to function.
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"I want to run the House, I want to give you enough opportunities and enough time to speak. You have to go to your seats. You come to the well and then go outside and tell that you don't get a chance to speak. This is not right," he said.
Birla said the House has to be to function smoothly. "You don't allow to run the House. You shout slogans. Parliament has dignity and we all have to maintain the dignity," he said. As the opposition members ignored his pleas, the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes soon after it met for the day, with the proceedings adjourned till 2 PM.
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Trinamool Congress MPs were in the well of the House even before the start of the proceedings and raised slogans saying they are not being allowed to speak. TMC members were also wearing black masks as a mark of protest.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged the members to take to their seats but the treasury benches raised their pitch demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his "democracy under attack" remarks made abroad.
Both the houses of the Parliament were adjourned on Tuesday as well over ruckus due to comments made by the leader in the United Kingdom (UK).
According to reports, he is likely to speak about the controversial remarks he made during his visit to the UK this month. He had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the BJP's ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the state of Indian democracy under Modi.
What happened during the earlier proceedings?
The BJP has latched on the comments and has alleged that Rahul insulted India abroad and has said he should apologise for it. Beginning on Monday when the Budget Session of the Parliament resumed after a month-long recess, the BJP raised the issue in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha where the Congress countered it.
On Tuesday, BJP members began raising slogans in Lok Sabha as soon as the proceedings began. They sought an apology from Rahul. They were countered by the Congress-led Opposition MPs who waved placards with quotes from speeches of Modi during his visits abroad. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to take up the Question Hour and appealed to the members to uphold the dignity of the house.
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However, Congress members continued their protest following which the speaker adjourned the house till 2 pm. After resumption of the house, papers and standing committee reports were presented in the amid the ruckus. The house was adjourned for the day within 10 minutes.
Similarly in Rajya Sabha, the BJP demanded an apology from Rahul and the house was adjourned following the ruckus.
(With PTI inputs)
