Opposition members protest in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Vociferous protests over denying permission to immediately discuss Adani, Manipur and violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal on Thursday led to Rajya Sabha witnessing a washout of proceedings for the third day with Chairman warning that disruption is "not a remedy" but a "malady" and it slides Parliament into "irrelevance".
The House for minutes only as the House saw two adjournments, the final one being soon after 12 noon. At 11 AM too, the Opposition MPs' protest led to an adjournment.
The appeals made by Dhankhar to maintain decorum and allow the listed business of the House was not acceptable to the Opposition MPs, as he rejected their 16 notices demanding suspension of business and immediate discussion on alleged corruption by Adani, recent violence in Sambhal and Manipur ethnic violence.
He said November 27 marked a "historic milestone" as it was the beginning of the final quarter-century before the Constitution turns 100 and it was a moment for the Rajya Sabha, guided by the spirit of nationalism, to send a powerful message of hope to 1.4 billion people, reaffirming our commitment to their dreams and aspirations and our journey towards 'Viksit Bharat' in 2047.
"It is with deep concern, I must say we missed this historic opportunity. Where there should have been productive dialogue, constructive engagement, echoing the collective aspirations of our people. We fell short of their expectations. This chamber is more than just a house of debate - our national spirit has to echo from here," he said.
Urging MPs to embrace the spirit of meaningful dialogue and return to traditional thoughtful discussion, he said, "Parliamentary disruption is not a remedy, it's a malady. It weakens our foundation. It slides parliament into irrelevance. We must continue to have our relevance. When we engage in this kind of conduct, we deviate from constitutional ordainment. We show our back to our duties. If parliament strays from its constitutional duty to represent people's hopes and aspirations, it is our duty to nurture nationalism, further democracy."
Lok Sabha too saw adjournment for the day over Opposition protest after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Ravindra Chavan took oath as MPs and the House extended the tenure of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Wakf (Amendment) Bill.
"Today too both Houses of Parliament got adjourned because of the government's continuing refusal to allow the Opposition to raise the issue of the Modani scam which is destroying free and fair competition in many sectors of the economy and destroying corporate India's credibility and reputation globally," Congress Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said.
In Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar also said one can persuade the chair only by exhibiting the highest standard of conformance to the rules and the ruling of the chair must evoke deference and not a challenge.
"We had the occasion to make a location of time, and we failed to utilise the time because of the want of speakers. And therefore, there can be no grievance at all to voice your concerns but in accordance with rules. If we start having our practice my way or no way, that is not only not democratic, that will pose a great challenge to the very existence of this sacred theater. I have no doubt any deviation from the rules is virtually sacrileging this temple," he said.