New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday witnessed repeated adjournments in the pre-lunch session after the Congress members created a ruckus over the National Herald case for the second consecutive day and the BJD members protested over the Polavaram project.
Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house till 2.00 p.m. when it assembled at 12.15 p.m. after three brief adjournments.
Soon after the house assembled for the day, Congress members stormed the chairman’s podium raising the issue of summons to party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
The Congress members shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Members of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) also protested against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on the Polavaram project, a multi-purpose dam in Andhra Pradesh whose reservoir spreads into parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
They trooped bear the chairman’s podium and held placards demanding that the Polavaram Dam project be stopped.
Amid the din, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien adjourned the house till 11.30 a.m.
When the house reassembled, Congress and BJD members went close to the speaker’s chair and shouted slogans.
Congress members were shouting slogans like “Modi teri tanashahi nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi.”
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “The Congress party is stalling the development of the county. Whistleblowers protection bill and ST/SC (prevention of atrocities) amendment bill are listed in today’s business.”
He said that the government is ready to discuss any issue on the floor of the house.
“If the Congress party feels any kind of discrimination, we are ready to discuss. They are protesting inside and outside parliament and disrupting government’s development agenda,” he said.
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said: “We want discussions against Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh governments.”
As the ruckus continued, Kurien adjourned the house till 12 noon.
At 12 noon, similar scenes were witnessed and Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house till 12.15 p.m and then till 2.00 p.m.