New Delhi: Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned till 11 am on Thursday amid uproar over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's speech in UK and Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the Adani issue. Earlier, both houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2 pm within minutes of beginning the day's proceedings. As soon as the proceedings began after the first adjournments of the day, members of the Opposition raised the issue and shouted slogans like "we want JPC".
However, the Lower House managed to pass the budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Piyush Goyal slams Opposition for boycotting meeting called by Rajya Sabha Chairman
Meanwhile, Leader of the House Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal slammed Opposition for boycotting the meeting called by the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. He further said that the Opposition has disrespected the House once again.
"Members of the House are worried about what kind of message is going out to the youth. I believe that the opposition has disrespected the House once again. They don’t have any other grounds to stay in the headlines," said Goyal.
"The Chairman of the House had called for a meeting but the leaders of the opposition boycotted this meeting. When the Chairman tried to solve the dispute to run the parliament smoothly today, again the opposition leaders disrespected the Chairman," he added.
He said that the Opposition has refused to mend matters between the government and the opposition adding that this shows that the opposition doesn’t want the House to function and is misleading the country. "I believe that the country will respond with a strong answer in the coming days," he said.
However, Jairam Ramesh alleged that Piyush Goyal prevent the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge from speaking twice after Chairman had permitted him. "Piyush Goyal is accusing Oppn of boycotting a meeting called by Chairman RS. This is from the Leader of the House who got his MPs to prevent LoP @Karge ji from speaking twice after Chairman had permitted him. Silencing of LoP is also an issue quite apart from the JPC on Adani," Ramesh tweeted.
The Congress leader further said that Rahul Gandhi's apology demand is a hoax being raised to divert attention from the Adani scam. "How can the Oppn demand for a JPC into the PM-linked Adani scam be linked to the BJP's demand for an apology from @RahulGandhi on totally baseless accusations? The JPC is on a real, documented scam. The apology demand is a hoax being raised to divert attention from the Adani scam," he said in another tweet.
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Speaker Om Birla appeals to protesting members to allow the Question Hour
Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made repeated appeals to the protesting members to allow the Question Hour to function, giving the assurance that everyone will be given a chance to speak.
"I had made a personal request to the leaders of all parties. I would like to make another appeal, the House should function, and the budget session is very important. Everyone will get a chance to speak," he said. "If not given a chance after Question Hour, then you can come in the Well. If you don't want the House to function then the proceedings are adjourned till 2 pm," he said.
The parliament has not been able to conduct any substantial business amid repeated logjams, with the BJP seeking an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the United Kingdom and several opposition parties seeking Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. The Budget session commenced on March 13 and will conclude on April 6.
(With input from agencies)
