Lok Sabha takes up some business amid din

The House took up the Question Hour as well as Zero Hour mentions, albeit in the din created by the shouting members of Congress and some other parties. The House also saw Home Minister Rajnath Singh making a statement on Gurdaspur terror attack, during which the opposition suspended its protests. However, after the conclusion of the statement, the opposition members resumed their slogan-shouting, prompting Singh to hit at them.

He said the opposition was trying to give an impression that Parliament is not united on the issue of terrorism. He also hit out at Congress, saying coining of the term 'Hindu terrorism' by its previous government had ensured that the country was not able to fight the menace strongly enough.

Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge later said the whole country is one on the issue of terrorism and accused Singh of making a political speech on the subject.

Amid the slogan-shouting and war of words, the House was adjourned again and again, before the final one soon after 3.30 pm, making it a near washout of two weeks of business.

In the afternoon, which is reserved for Private Members' Business on Fridays, Congress members trooped into the Well raising the issue of quorum.

Kharge said, "we always support Private Members' Bills... the Monsoon Session of Parliament has not yet started. Agitation is going on. How can Parliament function?"

His party colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia said there was an issue of quorum as the members protesting in the Well cannot be counted for the purpose.

Thambidurai rejected the contention of the Congress about the quorum, but adjourned the House saying that the opposition did not want the House to function. .

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day when B Mahtab (BJD) stood up to speak on a private member resolution for ‘rehabilitation and welfare of displaced persons from Kashmir’.

The House has not been able to function properly for the past two weeks as Congress has been pressing for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over Lalit Modi controversy and ouster of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over Vyapam scam. TRS members have also been demanding a separate High Court for Telangana.