RS adjourned till 2 PM after uproar over KTK, Sonbhadra issues

PTI, Jul 22, 2019, 1:21 PM IST

New Delhi: Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were washed out in the pre-lunch period on Monday after members of opposition parties created uproar over the Karnataka political crisis and the Sonbhadra violence issues.

Members in the upper house raised slogans since the start of the day’s proceedings, raising issues of Karnataka political crisis, Sonbhadra violence, lynchings in Bihar and Dalit issues.

Soon after Deputy chairman Harivansh called for the Question Hour, members continued to create uproar. They soon stormed into the well and started raising slogans.

Harivansh said the Question hour is important as a lot of effort and resources have gone into it.

While Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo continued to answer supplementaries pertaining to a question on the rehabilitation of villages, the protesting members continued to create uproar.

“The members who are standing in the well are requested to go back to their seats and allow the Question Hour to continue,” the deputy chairman urged the members.

As the pleas of the deputy chairman went unheeded, he adjourned the House till 2 PM. The House was adjourned 10 minutes after it met at 12 for Question Hour.

Protesting members were raising slogans like “Dictatorship will not be allowed”, “Dalit virodhi yeh sarkar, nahin chalegi”, “Goondagardi nahin chalegi”.

Congress members had given an adjournment notice under Rule 267 seeking setting aside of the business of the day to take up the issue of Constitutional crisis in Karnataka. TMC members sent a similar notice over killings in Sonbhadra district of UP and a similar notice on mob lynching in Bihar by other opposition parties.

As soon as the House mourned the death of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and listed official papers laid on the table of the House, opposition members were up on their feet raising their issues.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the Karnataka issue is pending before the Supreme Court and the House cannot discuss it.

“Please sit down. Please don’t take right of members. There are 20 Zero Hour mentions which I have admitted,” he said.

“The matter is before the Supreme Court. Both sides are in the court. How can you discuss it in the House?,” he said.

As his pleas went unheeded and members started raising slogans, he asked members not to raise slogans.

As his repeated pleas went unheeded, he adjourned the House till 1200 hours.

Earlier the House mourned the death of Dikshit, who died on July 20 at the age of 81 years.

Reading out obituary reference, Naidu said she was the longest serving chief minister of Delhi and did pioneering development work during her 15-year tenure.

“In passing away of Sheila Dikshit, the country has lost a distinguished parliamentarian and an able administrator,” he said.

Members stood in silence in their places as a mark of respect to the memory of the departed soul.