Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned twice amid Opposition ruckus

Members from opposition parties continued their sloganeering

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice in the first half of Tuesday as opposition MPs continued their protest over the Pegasus snooping controversy and various other issues.

Before the second adjournment of the day, the Upper House of Parliament took up seven of the 15 questions that were listed to be asked by members and replied to by ministers amid sloganeering by opposition members in the Well of the House.

Several of them were also carrying placards to lodge their protest.

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The morning session (Zero Hour), during which urgent issues are taken up, was also disrupted due to the protest and the proceedings were first adjourned for about an hour till 12 noon.

When the members re-assembled, Deputy Chairman Harivansh proceeded with the scheduled Question Hour, but the protesting MPs again entered the Well and started raising slogans.

Amid the uproar, members asked questions and the ministers concerned replied.

The Deputy Chairman repeatedly urged the MPs protesting in the Well to return to their seats, but they did not relent.

As the disruptions continued, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the proceedings at around 12.40 PM till 2 pm.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the morning session too. The House had met for the day at 11 am.

Soon after listed official papers were laid on the table of the House, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said several Opposition MPs including Ramgopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Singh (AAP), Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal (both Congress), Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC), CPI(M)'s Elamaram Kareem and V Sivadasan and Binoy Viswam of the CPI have given notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up discussion on issues they want to raise.

The Chairman, however, said he has not admitted the notices. Unsatisfied by the Chairman's ruling, opposition MPs stormed into the Well of the House, raising slogans.

Naidu asked them to return to their seats even as Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi objected to comments by a senior opposition leader over the passage of bills in Parliament without discussion.

He did not name the MP but he was apparently referring to a tweet by TMC's Derek O'Brien who had on Monday highlighted that 12 Bills were passed at "an average time of under seven minutes per Bill" in the first 10 days of monsoon session of Parliament and asked "passing legislation or making papri chaat!"

Naidu said the majority of the members want the House to run and they want to discuss the issues.

"Chair is also willing to permit discussion on these issues but this is the way...you cannot force us, you cannot dictate what to do and what not to do," he said. "Go to your seats otherwise you will be named and action will be taken."

He repeatedly asked the protesting MPs to go back to their seats and allow the House to function.

As protests got louder, Naidu adjourned the proceedings at around 11.10 am till noon.