Parliament Monsoon session Adjourned: Opposition will take turns sitting in the protest for the next 50 hours.
Photography By: Sipra Das
Once again, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha failed to transact significant business and were adjourned ahead of time. Opposition pressed on with its demands for a discussion on Manipur violence.
Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha adopted a motion suspending AAP floor leader Sanjay Singh from the House for the rest of the session, as Question Hour continued among intense protests by Opposition members. Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh made multiple requests to Mr. Singh to leave the House, but he refused to do so.
Proceedings were off to a stormy start already on day three. In the Lok Sabha, Opposition MPs demanded that the PM address the House on the Manipur issue. As Question Hour was drowned by sloganeering, the House was adjourned till noon. The day commenced with relative calm in the Rajya Sabha, with AITC MP Saket Gokhale being sworn in as a new member. Eleven notices for a short-duration discussion, and 27 notices for suspension of business of the House were received by the Chair, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Proceedings derailed into chaos after a war of words between TMC leader Derek O’Brien and Mr. Dhankhar, when Mr. O’Brien objected to the fact that Mr. Dhankhar read out the party affiliations for BJP members but not for Opposition members.
The suspended Rajya Sabha MPs have decided to do a relay protest at the Gandhi statue in Parliament. They will take turns sitting in the protest for the next 50 hours till 1 pm on Friday. At a given time, groups of four MPs will protest near the statue. Parties like TMC, DMK and TRS have joined the roster that has been made.
News Mania Desk /Photo Credit -Sipra Das (National Consulting Photo Editor)
24 July 2023, New Delhi
