Parliament did not function for the second consecutive day on Friday following protests by a united Opposition, which refused to budge from its demand for a discussion on financial exposure of SBI and LIC in the scam-hit Adani Group.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha conducted business for minutes before adjourning the House in the afternoon. Similar scenes were witnessed in both Houses during the morning and afternoon sessions, as Opposition MPs were on their feet demanding an immediate discussion and a probe either by a Joint Parliamentary Committee or by the Supreme Court.
In Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected notices by 15 MPs saying they were not in accordance with the rules, leading to vociferous protests by the entire Opposition MPs.
As he adjourned the House till 2:30 pm, he said Parliament is the "essence and the North Star of democracy" and a "place for discussion and deliberation to realise the aspirations and dreams of the people and not a place of disturbance".
When the House re-assembled, the Opposition once again pressed their demand but Dhankhar said he shared the "distress and anguish of millions of people at the kind of lack of decorum" and that "it was unfortunate that public money was squandered".
Dhankhar's remarks immediately attracted criticism from the Opposition MPs even as Dhankhar warned AAP's Sanjay Singh for rushing into the Well. Dhankhar adjourned the House but warned that those who rush to the Well would be dealt with.
"Parliament adjourned for another day because the Opposition demands a JPC on the PM-linked Adani issue that is playing havoc on the savings of crores of Indians. Modi sarkar says MPs are wasting public money. What about the crores people have lost over the last few days of MahaMegaScam?" Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh tweeted without mentioning Dhankhar's remarks.
In Lok Sabha, similar scenes were witnessed with Opposition MPs demanding a probe into the tanking of the Adani Group stocks and sought a probe into the business practices of the corporate giant.
The protesting MPs did not heed to Speaker Om Birla's appeal to members to participate in the proceedings, prompting him to first adjourn the House till 2 pm.
When the House re-assembled, the MPs once again raised their demand amid official papers being laid on the Table of the House. As protests continued, Rajendra Agarwal, who was chairing the proceedings, adjourned the House.