The proceedings of the Lok Sabha were adjourned on Thursday for the fourth consecutive day amid persistent protests by the Opposition over the issue of the ongoing voter roll revision in Bihar.
In the morning, Speaker Om Birla had to adjourn proceedings when Opposition members raised slogans, entered the Well of the House and also displayed placards demanding that the SIR be withdrawn.
When the Lower House met again at 2 pm, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was the chairing the session, urged members to participate in a bill which seeks to provide seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Goa Legislative Assembly, reported PTI.
As the ruckus escalated, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal questioned the Opposition for not allowing discussion on the bill which will benefit the Scheduled Tribe population of the state. However, as protests continued unabated, the proceedings were adjourned for the day.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Om Birla asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and assured that as per rules they will be given opportunities to raise issues.
Taking the name of senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, Birla said it was not the culture of his party to indulge in sloganeering in the House.
Birla repeatedly mentioned that sloganeering and display of placards is not in accordance with the dignity of the House and wondered what kind of message such actions will send out.
As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings in less than seven minutes, reported PTI.
One question was taken up before the proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm.
The Opposition is demanding a discussion on the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, an exercise initiated by the Election Commission ahead of the state assembly polls due later this year.
Leader of Rajya Sabha JP Nadda bids farewell to retiring members of House
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Jagat Prakash Nadda, bid farewell to the retiring MPs on Thursday, praising their contributions in enriching the house and wishing them well for their future endeavours.
“Today, 6 members are having their farewell. In that Wilson ji is coming back, I welcome him back. On behalf of my party and myself, I extend my congratulations and wish the people well. This house functions with continuity; that is why many new people come into Rajya Sabha, their terms finish, and they leave. In a democracy, discussion is expected. We also know that the beauty of democracy is that we agree to disagree,” Nadda said during his address in the Parliament.
“The house has been enriched with the way the 6 members have participated in discussions for policies. The house will always remember this,” he added.
The MPs who are retiring today include Vaiko (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), MM Abdulla (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), N Chandrasegharan (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Anbumani Ramdas, and N Sanmugam (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), representing the state of Tamil Nadu. The sixth MP, P Wilson, has been re-elected, with his next term set to start on Friday.
Talking about the speeches of the retiring MPs, Nadda wished them well for any future endeavours, adding, “The members have discussed on labour, legal issues, put forward society`s issues, and with their contributions, debates have gotten a platform. I congratulate them and wish them well. Even if one`s duration is over, their time to do work is not finished. We get enough opportunities to work in various platforms.”
Nadda praised Vaiko’s speech for being as energetic as all the others before, joking that the MDMK MP does not seem ready for retirement.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)