New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Thursday after repeated disruptions by Opposition members over the issue of revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and the demand that it should be withdrawn.
The House was adjourned soon after Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a suo motu statement on the US tariff announcement, asserting that India will take all steps necessary to protect its national interest.
The Upper House had earlier in the day witnessed three adjournments amid uproar by Opposition parties, who protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi not replying to a debate on Operation Sindoor in the House and also raised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue.
When the house met at 4.30 pm, Goyal made his statement amid sloganeering by Opposition members.
“The Government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, workers, entrepreneurs, exporters, MSMEs and all sections of industry. We will take all necessary steps to secure and advance our national interest,” he said.
The Upper House earlier witnessed two adjournments – first soon after meeting at 11 am, when it was adjourned till 12 noon, and then till 2 pm hrs amid protests by Opposition MPs.
When the House met at 2 pm for the lunch session, Opposition members were on their feet, raising slogans against the SIR and demanding that the Prime Minister come to the House.
Sasmit Patra, who was in the Chair, allowed Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak.
Kharge quoted Leader of the House JP Nadda’s statement in the House in the morning session, where he said in 2008, after the Mumbai terror attack, then prime minister Manmohan Singh had not replied to the debate in the Rajya Sabha and the reply was made by the then home minister in the Upper House.
He said the objection, however, was to a remark made by the Home Minister.
The Leader of Opposition said that ‘main akela hi apko nipat lunga’ (I can handle you myself)… He insulted all of us, and we protested against that”.
“We said Prime Minister is here, please call him to the House…,” he noted.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Opposition MPs had raised slogans demanding the Prime Minister come to the House, triggering uproar from TMC MPs.
“The behaviour of TMC MPs is not right… The way Derek O’Brien is behaving is not right…,” Rijiju said.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister also said that Prime Minister Modi replied to the debate in the Lok Sabha for one hour and 42 minutes on Tuesday.
“They are saying the Prime Minister should reply. He spoke for one hour and 42 minutes in the Lok Sabha just a day before… He presented all the facts to the nation through the House. Home Minister is capable of replying to the debate…,” Rijiju said.
He said the government has a collective responsibility, and the Opposition does not get to decide who will speak.
Meanwhile, Opposition MPs were raising slogans against SIR. As soon as Rijiju finished his statement, the Chair adjourned the House till 4.30 pm.
Lok Sabha proceedings were also adjourned for the day on Thursday soon after Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a statement on the imposition of 25 per cent tariff by the US on India as Opposition members continued their protest over voter list revision exercise in Bihar.
Soon after the House met at 4 PM after adjournments earlier in the day, Speaker Om Birla called for Goyal to make his statement.
As soon as the statement got over, Opposition MPs rushed to the well and raised slogans demanded a discussion on special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
“If you want to have a discussion, go to your seats and if you want to raise slogans then hit the streets,” Birla told the protesting MPs.
With the opposition MPs not relenting, Birla adjourned the House for the day.
Earlier, as soon as the House met again at 2 pm, the Chair had adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm as Opposition members continued with their noisy protests.
Some Opposition members were in the Well of the House raising slogans as they sought to raise certain issues.
Awadhesh Prasad, who was chairing the House, urged the members to take their seats but adjourned the proceedings as his pleas went unheard.
Earlier, Speaker Birla had urged the protesting members to stop shouting slogans and go back to their seats.
“You (protesting members) don’t want to discuss issues?…,” he said and also asked whether people have chosen them to indulge in sloganeering in the House.
The House is for discussing issues and the behaviour of the members is not appropriate, Birla said before adjourning the proceedings till 2 pm.
As the din continued, the proceedings were adjourned in less than seven minutes.
The House meanwhile congratulated the scientists for the successful flight of a GSLV rocket that placed an earth observation satellite, jointly developed by ISRO and NASA.
