Unrelenting opposition force Rajya Sabha adjournment for till March 11

Rajya Sabha on Friday was adjourned as an unrelenting Opposition continued to protest demanding an immediate discussion on the Delhi communal clashes.

The House will now reconvene only on March 11 after Holi.

As soon as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu made remarks about International Women's Day on Sunday and reportage in media about House proceedings, he went ahead with Zero Hour submissions.

However, the Opposition MPs were on their feet objecting to any business other than the discussion on Delhi riots. Soon, MPs from Congress, AAP, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the well of the House while other parties like DMK, CPI(M), CPI and RJD among others stood on their seats shouting slogans.

"You have come prepared to not allow discussions," Naidu said as he adjourned the House till Wednesday morning.

Earlier, Opposition MPs also shouted slogans when the name of Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, who had triggered a controversy for egging party supporters to chant "shoot the traitors", was called to lay official papers on the table of the House.

Referring to the International Women's Day, Naidu pitched for greater representation of women in Parliament and state legislatures.

"Women should be provided with enough opportunities to serve as legislators in the state legislatures and Parliament. They also need to be included and consulted in every fora for policy formulation and implementation," he said.

"Today, despite women registering remarkable progress on all fronts, gender equality and women safety still remain elusive. Crime against women are on the rise, the panacea for which lies not only in increasing the quality of policing and tweaking the criminal justice system but also challenging the deep-seated mindset prevalent in our society," he said.

He said women have excelled in several spheres of life, including politics, poetry, sports or business and it is a duty to keep up this momentum and continue building upon the progress achieved by women.