NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted on Wednesday following opposition protests over price rise and GST rate hike.
The protests forced Speaker Om Birla to adjourn the house after just 20 minutes of business even though the government assured that it was ready to start a debate on price rise on Wednesday itself.
As soon as the House met at 11 am, the Speaker welcomed a parliamentary delegation from Mozambique, which is here to witness the proceedings.
As Birla concluded his speech highlighting India-Mozambique cordial relations and started the Question Hour, opposition members trooped into the Well, carrying anti-government placards and shouting slogans. The opposition also demanded the revocation of the order suspending four MPs.
Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, T N Prathapan and S Jothimani were on Monday suspended for the rest of the session for staging protests and carrying placards inside the House.
The speaker tried to run the House despite the protests and allowed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi to reply to supplementaries related to their respective ministries.
When the protests grew louder, Birla appealed to the opposition members to go back to their seats, saying House rules and regulations were framed by the MPs themselves and they should not violate them. He said carrying placards and shouting slogans inside the House was not allowed.
"Such improper (ashobhaniya) behaviour is not good. You should take part in the debate. This is not good for the democracy as well as individually for you. Otherwise, I will have to use the rules framed by you," he said.
The Speaker said people and the assemblies in the country were watching what was happening in this House.
Joshi, who is also the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has returned after recovering from a recent bout of illness and the government was ready for a debate on price rise on Wednesday itself.
"The opposition does not want to participate in the debate and that is why they are staging protests. Some of the opposition-ruled states did not even reduce taxes on fuel and hence, want to run away from the debate," Joshi said.
As the pandemonium continued, the speaker adjourned the house till 12 noon. Lok Sabha proceedings have been disrupted due to opposition protests ever since the Monsoon session began on July 18.