New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday following vocal protests and demands for immediate discussion on several contentious issues, including Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh announced the receipt of 24 notices under Rule 267, most of which pertained to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undertaken in Bihar.
The notices were submitted by members, including Ranjeet Ranjan, Shaktisinh Gohil, Syed Nasir Hussain, Rajani Ashokrao Patil, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rajiv Shukla and Randeep Singh Surjewala (all from Congress), Sandeep Kumar Pathak (AAP), Manoj Jha (RJD), and others.
The Deputy Chairman also informed the House that under the same rules, additional notices were submitted by CPI(M) MP Rita Pratap Banerjee and Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh, raising concerns over alleged discrimination against Bengali migrant workers in various states.
A. Rahim (CPI-M), P. Santosh Kumar (CPI), and Josh K. Mani (Kerala Congress-M) sought a discussion on the “alleged and unjust” arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh.
SP MP Ramjilal Suman demanded a debate on the “unprecedented and unexpected” resignation of the Rajya Sabha Chairman, while CPI(M) MP V. Sivadasan submitted a notice seeking deliberation on “India’s trade agreement with the United Kingdom and its impact on the Indian economy”.
The Deputy Chairman informed the House that the notices did not conform to procedural requirements and were therefore declined. This led to sharp protests from the Opposition and disruption of proceedings.
Amid the uproar, the Deputy Chairman urged members to honour their collective commitment to uphold the Parliamentary decorum, stating that Question Hour and Zero Hour had not been availed for several days due to repeated disruptions.
The Deputy Chairman appealed to members to allow both segments to proceed uninterrupted. When the ruckus continued, he adjourned the House till 2 p.m.
Earlier in the day, the House briefly turned its attention to a moment of national pride when the Deputy Chairman congratulated 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh for winning the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup.
He described her achievement as a matter of great joy, noting that she had made the country proud by becoming India’s first woman to win the title and the nation’s 88th Grandmaster.
Several parliamentary papers and committee reports were laid on the table. These included submissions from ministers Pankaj Choudhary, Anupriya Patel, Santanu Thakur, Harsh Malhotra, Ninubhai, and Bhupathi Raju Srinivas Verma.
Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tabled the 57th report of the Standing Committee on Communications in the 17th Lok Sabha, along with the seventh Action Taken Report concerning the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
BJP MP Ramji Bhai Harji Bhai Mokaria submitted reports from the Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs.
BJP MP K. Lakshman laid reports from the Committee on Public Accounts, while party MP Iranna B Kadadi presented the 15th report related to the Ministry of Rural Development.
Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary also placed an additional Standing Committee report before the House. An updated panel of Vice Chairpersons was announced.
The House is scheduled to reconvene at 2 p.m., though tensions surrounding the Bihar electoral revision may continue to affect proceedings.
–IANS
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