Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day, following noisy protests by Opposition members over multiple issues.
Friday was the second day when the House could not take up discussion on the Union Budget presented on February 1.
As the House reassembled at 12 noon after an earlier adjournment, opposition members continued with their protests by trooping into the Well of the House.
Chairing the proceedings, Krishna Prasad Tenneti urged opposition to take their seats and put down placards. As opposition members refused to relent, he adourned the House till Monday.
Earlier in the morning, several Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House, raising slogans and holding placards, prompting repeated appeals from Speaker Om Birla to restore order.
Expressing concern over the disruptions, Birla said Parliament was meant to function through debate and discussion, not sloganeering. He pointed out that members had been elected to raise issues in a constructive manner and warned that persistent disruptions amounted to disrespect for the House.
The Speaker noted that during the ongoing session, 19 hours and 13 minutes had already been lost due to interruptions. He also urged protesting members to allow proceedings to continue, noting that a question by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi was listed for the day.
As the protests continued unabated, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 pm.
Opposition parties, led by the Congress has been protesting inside and outside the Parliament against the Speaker refusing to allow Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to speak on former Army Chief General MM Naravane's unpublished 'memoir', in which he makes some statements involving PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in connection with the 2020 India-China standoff.
Eight Congress MPs were suspended by the Speaker on Tuesday, amid continuous protests demanding to let the LoP speak on the issue.
In an unprecedented development on Thursday, the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address without the Prime Minister’s customary reply, which could not be delivered due to sustained Opposition protests.