Parliament adjourned amid ruckus as opposition protests continue

New Delhi, Feb 4: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned after 5 pm on Wednesday, the third day running and will resume at 11 am on Thursday, The Hindustan Times reported. The House met at 2 pm but was adjourned within 10 minutes following sloganeering by opposition members, with Congress MPs raising slogans of “LoP ko bolne do” during a protest inside the Parliament complex. Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the House, raising issues related to caste census, women’s empowerment, central schemes and the situation in Manipur. Kharge also targeted the BJP and the RSS over women’s representation and criticised the Prime Minister’s delayed visit to Manipur. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi said he would present former Army chief General M M Naravane’s memoir to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi was expected to reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address during the ongoing Budget Session.

The motion follows President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament on January 28. The confrontation between the opposition and the government intensified after eight Congress MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the session for unruly behaviour. Suspended Congress leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest outside Parliament against the suspensions. Gandhi also wrote to Speaker Om Birla, alleging that he was prevented from speaking on national security issues during the debate on the motion of thanks. Both Houses will continue the debate on the motion of thanks on Thursday. The Budget Session is scheduled to run for 30 sittings over 65 days and will conclude on April 2, with a recess from February 13 to March 9.