Monsoon Session: Both Houses adjourned for the day amid protests
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha saw another washout of proceedings on Thursday with the Opposition protesting over the suspension of MPs and remaining adamant on its demand for a discussion on price rise and the Gujarat hooch tragedy.
The Upper House witnessed four adjournments before proceedings were called off for the day.
On the other hand, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day as furore continued over Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury referring to President Droupadi Murmu as 'rashtrapatni'.
As the House resumed at 4 pm, MPs from both treasury and the Opposition were shouting. Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, who was on Chair, urged members to take their seats. As pandemonium continued, he adjourned the proceedings for the day.
Earlier, the Upper House adopted a motion to suspend three more members — AAP's Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sandeep Kumar Pathak besides Independent MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan — for the rest of the week for "unruly behaviour".
When the Upper House reassembled at 4 pm after several adjournments, the proceedings got adjourned within three minutes, as members from Aam Aadmi Party and other opposition parties entered the Well of the House and raised slogans and showed placards.
Tiruchi Siva, who was in the Chair, repeatedly asked the three suspended AAP members as well as Independent MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan to withdraw from the House.
The suspended members, however, did not leave the House. Meanwhile, the opposition members raised a point of order.
On this, Siva said: "When the House is not in order, I cannot take any points of order."
Despite repeated requests from Siva, the opposition members continued their sloganeering and many of them remained in the Well, forcing him to adjourn the proceedings of the house till Friday morning.
Earlier in the day, the Upper House was adjourned soon after it met at 11 am and then again at 12 noon. In the afternoon session, when the House reassembled at 2 pm, it was adjourned for an hour.
When the House reassembled at 3 pm, the opposition members continued their protest demanding discussion on price rise, suspension of members and the Gujarat hooch tragedy and other issues, forcing another adjournment for an hour till 4 pm.
Soon after the House met after the first adjournment, opposition members continued with their protest in the Well of the House.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh then named the three members for holding placards and shouting slogans in the Well.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion to suspend the three members from the House for the remainder of the week. The motion was passed by a voice vote.
As some opposition members demanded division of votes, Harivansh then asked the members to go to their seats.
In the morning, Rajya Sabha was adjourned for almost an hour as the Opposition stuck to its demand for a discussion on price rise and the treasury benches sought an apology from Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over his "sexist insult" of the President.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu took exception to opposition MPs rushing into the Well holding placards over the issue of price rise, saying the members doing so are being named and they have to go out.
Earlier in the day, when the Lower House met at 11 am, BJP members were up on their feet demanding an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi over Chowdhury's remark.
"The Congress leader has disrespected the President. The Congress cannot tolerate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a poor tribal woman the Presidential candidate," Union minister Smriti Irani said.
Amid the furore, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings of the House till 12 noon. Similar scenes were witnessed when the House reassembled.
"Sonia Gandhi should apologise for Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remarks," Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said amid the din.
Later, BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the Chair, adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm.
Earlier, Irani said Murmu has become the target of the Congress' hatred.
"Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remark is anti-Adivasi, anti-poor and anti-woman," she said.
Targeting Gandhi, Irani alleged that the Congress president "sanctioned humiliation" of a poor tribal woman who has occupied the highest constitutional post in the country.
Such humiliation of Murmu will not be tolerated by the poor, tribals and women of the country, she added. BJP MPs strongly supported Irani, inviting counter-protests from Congress members.
Chowdhury is the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and made the remark on Murmu while talking to the media during his party's protests over a host of issues.
