Logjam continues: The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday (July 27) with little productivity following continuous protests by the Opposition parties over the Manipur issue.
The House took up and passed two Bills, having brief discussions, as the Opposition continued to raise slogans and display placards. They have been demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence in the House and his statement on the Manipur situation, causing a deadlock between them and the government since Day 1 of the commencement of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session on July 20.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill as well as a measure to repeal obsolete laws were passed before the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.
There were as many as three adjournments in the day over the Manipur issue.
House reassembles
When the House assembled at 2 pm after an earlier adjournment, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a statement on the government's foreign engagements amid disruptions.
Amid the Opposition disruption, a verbal spat broke out between Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
After Jaishankar's statement, Chowdhury tried to raise a point of order. Goyal stood up and said that he would not allow the Congress leader to speak in protest against the disruption of the external affairs minister's statement.
The House was adjourned again for 20 minutes as the sloganeering over the Manipur violence continued and the war of words between the Opposition and the government also stretched.
Congress MP hurls papers at Chair
A Congress MP hurled torn papers at the Chair moments before the House was adjourned.
When the House reassembled at 3 pm, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi raised the incident and urged the Chair to name the member.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill was subsequently taken up for consideration.
In his opening remarks on the bill, Goyal lashed out at the opposition members who were dressed in black as a mark of protest, saying they were trying to hide their black deeds behind their attire.
Earlier in the day, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm as opposition members, dressed in black, continued with their protests demanding a statement from the prime minister on the situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur followed by a full-fledged discussion on it.
(With PTI inputs)
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