Disruptions marred the proceedings in both Houses of Parliament on the fourth consecutive day, today. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day following opposition’s ruckus over various issues including alleged bribery charges against a prominent business group.

In the Lok Sabha, when the House met after first adjournment at 12 Noon, opposition members from Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party and others trooped into the well, raising slogans. Rejecting the adjournment notices moved by the opposition members, the Presiding Officer urged them to play a constructive role. He said, the entire country is watching their actions which he termed as not appropriate. The Opposition members, however, did not relent, and the Presiding Officer adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier, as the House assembled this morning, opposition MPs began sloganeering. Despite Speaker Om Birla’s appeals to allow the Question Hour to proceed smoothly, the ruckus continued. He emphasized that the public wants the House to run efficiently and expressed concern over the disruptions. Amid the chaos, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

In the Rajya Sabha, when the House met this morning, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the adjournment notices moved by opposition party members demanding discussion on alleged bribery charges against a prominent business group, besides other issues. Mr. Dhankhar said, Rule Number 267 is being weaponized as a mechanism for disruption of the proceedings of the House. Expressing anguish over the continued disruption, the Chairman said, the protesting members have set a very bad precedent and the House is not rising up to the expectations of the people. He said, people are ridiculing the actions of the members and termed it as not people centric. He added that the disruptions, along with the loss of Question Hour, were detrimental to public interest. Amid the din, the Chairman adjourned the House for the day. Both the Houses will meet on 2nd of next month.