New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday amid continuous protests by opposition members led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanding sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra from the government in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Rajya Sabha too failed to transact any business on Thursday as opposition members forced adjournments in the house over the issue of suspension of 12 MPs.
Gandhi, who had a question on MSME sector listed on Thursday, linked Mishra with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and demanded his ouster when Speaker Om Birla called his name during the Question Hour.
It was trouble from the word go, as opposition members trooped into the Well raising slogans and waving placards demanding removal of Mishra, whose son has been arrested in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in October in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed.
Trinamool Congress members, who had earlier stayed away from the opposition grouping, were also in the Well of the House raising slogans along with members of the Congress and Left parties. "This minister should be removed from the government...action should be taken against him," Gandhi said.
We should be allowed to speak about it (Lakhimpur Kheri), the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad said as opposition members waved placards and raised slogans in the Well of the House.
The Speaker asked Gandhi to stick to the question related to the MSME sector that was listed against his name.
Your minister...should resign. He should be punished for that. He should be removed from the government, Gandhi said.
With the opposition members unrelenting, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
As the Lok Sabha re-assembled at 2 pm, opposition members were in the Well again demanding action against Mishra.
BJD leader Bhratruhari Mahtab, who was in the chair, allowed laying of parliamentary papers on the table of the House and introduction of the Biological Diversity Bill before adjourning the proceedings for the day.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha saw an adjournment till 2 pm within minutes of the start of the day's proceedings. It was later adjourned for the day shortly after 2 pm amid opposition protests and sloganeering in the well of the house.
Soon after the house met for the day, opposition members were on their feet demanding revocation of the suspension of their colleagues.
The Congress had also given notices under rule 267 for discussing the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on Lakhimpur violence.
Soon after the laying of papers, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urged the protesting members to return to their seats, but they carried on with their protests relentlessly.
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also sought to speak but the chairman did not allow him.
Amid continued protests, the chair adjourned the house till 2 pm within minutes of the day.
When the house met after lunch at 2 pm, the opposition members again stormed the well and raised slogans against the government.
The deputy chairman pleaded with them to allow the short duration discussion on the situation arising out of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, but the opposition members continued with their protests.
As he asked Syed Zafar Islam of the BJP to carry on with the discussions, the opposition members raised their voice and stated sloganeering.
Islam had merely started speaking, but the chair adjourned the house for the day amid continued din created by the opposition members.
Earlier, the Rajya Sabha paid tributes to the valour of soldiers on the 50th anniversary of Vijay Diwas.
Vijay Diwas commemorates India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. Bangladesh, then part of Pakistan, became an independent country after the war.