New Delhi: The ongoing saga of delays in the Lok Sabha continues, as the session was adjourned again on Monday without any proceedings due to ongoing clashes between the government and opposition members over various issues. Initially, the session was adjourned twice in the morning and later pushed to Tuesday afternoon, marking yet another day of disruptions in a week that has seen continuous interruptions in parliamentary activities.
Former Army Chief M.M. Naravane’s book became a focal point for opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who attempted to raise issues related to it. This move was met with strong objections from ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, which led to escalating tensions. Since the beginning of the session, no activities other than protests have taken place, highlighting the stalemate faced by the Lok Sabha.
As the session commenced at 11 a.m., members from the opposition immediately started raising slogans, demanding an immediate discussion on several matters they had brought to light. Speaker Om Birla suggested that these issues could be discussed during the budget debate, allowing all members, including Rahul Gandhi, to voice their concerns. However, the opposition members remained unyielding, expressing their frustration over what they perceived as a deliberate strategy to derail proceedings.
Due to the ongoing uproar, the session was adjourned until noon. When the house reconvened, opposition members insisted that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak first. T.N. Krishna Prasad, who was presiding over the session, reiterated that discussions regarding the budget needed to commence. The Congress party had nominated Shashi Tharoor to speak as their main spokesperson, underlining the importance of the budget discussion.
Yet, the incessant chanting from opposition members led to yet another adjournment by 2 p.m. Upon reconvening, the acting chairperson, Sandhya Rai, urged Tharoor to initiate the budget discussion. Tharoor indicated that Rahul intended to address certain points before commencing his speech on the budget. Rai responded that she had no objections to Rahul speaking on the budget, but he needed to adhere to the established order of discussion.
Tharoor expressed his frustration, stating that he had been informed he would have the opportunity to raise several points before the budget debate. However, opposition members accused the ruling party of bypassing their requests, insisting that they were not given the chance to address other matters before proceeding with the budget discussion. Rai clarified that she was not aware of any such agreement that would allow for additional topics to be discussed before the budget debate commenced.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kiren Rijiju, emphasized that the Speaker must be present to respond if Rahul wished to speak on the issues raised. With neither side willing to back down, Rai ultimately announced that the session would be adjourned until Tuesday. This latest adjournment marks a significant moment in parliamentary history, as it is the first time in 22 years that a thank-you motion was passed without a speech from the Prime Minister, which previously occurred on February 5.
Furthermore, it has come to light that on February 4, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address, Congress MPs had planned an unexpected protest near his seat, prompting the Speaker to advise against his attendance for safety reasons. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has dismissed these claims as pure fabrication, adding to the ongoing tension between the two sides in Parliament.
