Parliament adjourned after Opposition MPs protest against Rahul's disqualification

NEW DELHI: Both houses of the Parliament were adjourned on Monday after opposition leaders protested in unison over the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and further amping up the demand for a  Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Adani issue.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 4 pm amid slogan shouting by the Opposition members. As soon as the House met for the day, Congress members wearing black scarves trooped into the Well shouting slogans.

Two Congress members, T N Pratapan and Hibi Eden, who were in the Well holding placards, hurled order papers towards the Chair along with their scarves. "Dear ED daro mat, Adani per raid karo (ED don't be scared, raid Adani)," read one of the placards.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was seen wearing a black scarf while other members of her party wore black shirts. National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah was wearing a black kurta.

Amid the ruckus by Opposition members, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned proceedings of the House in less than a minute after it assembled for the Question Hour. "I want to run the House with dignity," Speaker Birla said, adding that "proceedings are adjourned till 4 pm."

Lok Sabha has been witnessing frequent disruptions since the second part of the Budget Session began on March 13 with Opposition members demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue.

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Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned in the pre-lunch session as opposition MPs created a ruckus over the Adani issue.

Dressed in black clothes, the MPs of the Congress and other parties began shouting slogans even before Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar took his seat. "Modi-Adani bhai, bhai," they shouted, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sensing the mood, Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

The opposition MPs came wearing black clothes, considered a mark of protest, to oppose the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP.

They also raised slogans demanding a probe by a joint parliamentary committee into allegations of corporate fraud and stock price manipulations against the Adani Group.

Opposition MPs huddle with Congress

Prior to the session, lawmakers from various opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BRS and SP, met at the Parliament complex on Monday to discuss a strategy to take forward the Adani issue as well as Rahul Gandhi's disqualification matter in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

Some of the Members of Parliament were seen wearing black clothes to protest the Congress leader's disqualification from the Lower House of Parliament after a Surat court convicted and sentenced him in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

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Leaders from DMK, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), BRS, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, NCP, IUML, MDMK, Kerala Congress, TMC, RSP, AAP, NC and Shiv Sena (UBT), among others, met at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's chamber. They discussed the way forward on the Adani issue and the aftermath of Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha.

Opposition members have displayed coordination during the Budget Session of Parliament and the Congress has expressed hope that this coordination will also be extended outside Parliament.

(With inputs from PTI)

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