MPs in the Lok Sabha
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned without conducting any business on Thursday as several MPs led by DMK came to the House wearing T-shirts and mufflers with slogans on the issue of delimitation, as the M K Stalin-led party intensified its protest days ahead of a meeting called by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
MPs of DMK and VCK along with Tamil Nadu Congress lawmakers went to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha wearing the T-shirts and mufflers after a protest outside, but Speaker Om Birla and Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar were not appreciating of the move, as they thought it was violating rules and procedures of both the Houses.
The T-shirts read, "'#fairdelimitation Tamil Nadu will Fight, Tamil Nadu will Win" while mufflers had "uncivilised, un-democratic" written on it.
As soon as the House assembled, Birla objected to the presence of MPs wearing T-shirts and mufflers with political slogans and said, "The House functions with rules and procedures. Members have to maintain the dignity and honour of the House. But some MPs are not following the rules and violating the dignity which is not acceptable."
Birla directed those members, who came wearing T-shirts with slogans written on them, to go out of the House and come back with proper dress maintaining dignity. "However big a leader is, such undignified attire is not acceptable inside the House. Go outside, change your clothes and come back with a proper dress," he said while adjourning the House till 12 noon.
When the House reconvened at 12 noon, Vice Chairman Krishna Prasad Tenneti appealed to the MPs to return to the House after changing their T-shirt. As none heeded to him, he first adjourned the House till 2 pm and later for the day. Before adjournment, some BJP MPs were accusing DMK MPs of acting against the ruling of the Speaker.
After official papers were laid on the table of the House, Dhankhar adjourned the House first till 12 noon saying he had called a meeting of floor leaders in his chambers at 11:30 am. "I would share with the members what I have seen in the House a while ago," he said. At 12 noon, the House was adjourned till 2 pm and then till Friday, as no consensus was reached in the meeting of floor leaders.
DMK, MDMK, VCK and Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu have been trying to raise the issue of delimitation in the Lok Sabha, but were rejected by the Speaker who said the issue is nowhere on the government radar as the Census is yet to be conducted.
The intensified protests by the DMK comes as Stalin has convened a conference of Chief Ministers and leaders of affected states on the issue.
Senior DMK MP Kanimozhi told reporters, "this is a new rule they have invented this morning. We have seen members of different parties coming to the Parliament in clothes with slogans written on them. BJP has also protested inside the Parliament. But when the Opposition protests, they are not able to take it."
Congress MP Manickam Tagore said it was "very unfortunate and unacceptable" to adjourn the House because DMK leaders were wearing T-shirts. "There is no dress code for Parliament. So, we are unable to understand how a House can be adjourned without any rule. The Punjab MPs wanted to discuss the farmers' issue and the government is afraid to discuss it that is why they have adjourned the House," he said.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya alleged that it was a "drama being enacted" by the DMK, whether on the issue of delimitation or imposition of Hindi and one should see it through the prism of the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections.
"It is being done to divert the attention of the people of Tamil Nadu from the real issues of lack of development and rampant corruption under the DMK rule. The union India and Home Minister Amit Shah have repeatedly assured the people of the country that no southern state will suffer adversely due to delimitation."