Monsoon Session: RS adjourned till 12 noon, LS till 2 pm after Opposition stalls proceedings

Team Udayavani, Jul 20, 2021, 11:21 AM IST

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned till 12 noon and 2 pm respectively after Opposition MPs stalled proceedings over various issues including Pegasus snooping controversy.

The Lok Sabha proceedings lasted for barely five minutes after Opposition members sought to raise various issues and shouted slogans as soon as the House met for the day at 11 am.

In Rajya Sabha, members of opposition parties, who had given as many as 15 notices under rule 267 requiring setting aside of the business of the day to take up the issue they want to raise, raised slogans and rushed into the Well of the House, prompting chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to adjourn the proceedings till 12 noon.

The issues include alleged snooping of Opposition leaders, journalists and vocal critics of the government, fuel price rise and farmers agitation against new farm laws.

No sooner had the House condoled the death of a former member, Ramadhar Kashyap, members of Congress, TMC, Left and DMK were up on their feet raising various issues.

With the chairman disallowing all the 15 notices as he did for the 17 served on Monday, Anand Sharma of tghe Congress said either the rule 267 should be removed or the Chairman should consider notices given under them as long as it is there in the rule book.

“These are issues of concern. We should not only read about it in newspapers or see on television,” he said.

Naidu said he agrees with Sharma. “There is a need for (rule) 267. I have been there in the House and I understand the problem of national security, something serious happens, you have to suspend the business and then take up that matter.”

But this provided the Chairman goes through the notice and then admits it, he said adding the notices given on Monday and Tuesday largely relate to “variety of issues… some of them ongoing for a long time, some of them discussed earlier.”

“What is the way for the Chairman to admit 15 267 notices and take the house forward,” he remarked adding zero hour is the time when members can raise issues on which they have given notices.

But Opposition members were not convinced and started to rush into the Well as Naidu called for listed official papers to be laid on the table.

As they raised slogans, Naidu adjourned the proceedings.

“The House is adjourned to meet at 12 noon because some people have decided not to allow the House (to function),” he remarked.