Both houses of Parliament adjourned due to Opposition protests over Adani issue
Public Lokpal
February 03, 2023
Both houses of Parliament adjourned due to Opposition protests over Adani issue
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day following an uproar by the opposition members demanding a discussion on the Adani issue. The Lok Sabha too has been adjourned.
Both Houses will meet on February 6 next.
Soon after the house met for the day, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the 15 adjournment notices filed by members of various opposition parties to discuss the Adani group issue in the wake of allegations made against the conglomerate by a US-based short seller.
The chairman urged members of the Rajya Sabha to maintain order and allow the listed business of the House to be taken up. "We are required to work in accordance with rules. I have received 15 notices under Rule 267 from different members. I have gone through all the notices. I am unable to accede to them as these are not fulfilling the requirements of rule 267 and are not in conformity with the direction by the chair on December 8, 2022," the chairman said, leading to uproar from opposition members.
He told the Rajya Sabha that of the 15 notices he received for consideration under rule 267, six from Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Syed Naseer Hussain, Pramod Tiwari, Kumar Ketkar, Amee Yajnik and Neeraj Dangi are identical.
Notices from John Brittas, A A Raheem, V Sivadasan and Tiruchi Siva are also identical.
The other notices are from K Keshava Rao, Elamaram Kareem, Sanjay Singh, Santhosh Kumar P and Priyanka Chaturvedi, the chairman noted.
Later, MP Tiruchi Siva raised a point that the notice filed by him on February 2 under Rule 267 was dismissed on the ground that it was not in order. "Kindly enlighten me on the lacuna enabling me to rectify in the future," Siva said in his point of order.
Responding to the query, the chairman said, "Members may go through rule 267 and the ruling of the chair on December 8. If there is still any doubt, kindly spare time to see me in my chamber during lunch recess. You will be feasted with food of your choice."
He said the proceedings of the House can continue only if it is in order. "If the House is not in order, the proceedings cannot continue. I have given my ruling and there shall be no further discussion. This has been the practice for long and is also codified in the rules".
"If there has been a ruling of the chair, Parliamentary democracy survives on the strength of the chair. I have given my ruling and my ruling has been continuously disregarded," the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.
Dhankhar added that he has been asked by students how his ruling was being continuously disregarded.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday as Opposition members raised slogans demanding a discussion and a joint parliamentary committee probe into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout in Adani Group company stocks.
Soon after the House met for the day, Opposition members were on their feet shouting slogans and demanding a probe into the tanking of the Adani Group scrips and sought a probe into the business practices of the corporate giant.
Speaker Om Birla appealed to members to stop their protests and participate in the discussions.
However, an unrelenting Opposition continued their protests and sloganeering, forcing the speaker to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm.
After the House met for the second time in the day, opposition members continued with their demand.
Amid sloganeering, Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the Chair, allowed the laying of parliamentary papers in the House.
Agarwal also appealed to Opposition members to go back to their seats and allow discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address to a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
As the protest continued, he adjourned Lok Sabha for the day.