Lok Sabha adjourned after passage of two Bills amid Opposition uproar over Pegasus, farm laws

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 26

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday after passage of two Bills without discussions amid relentless protests by Opposition members, who raised slogans and showed placards on the Pegasus snooping row and farmers’ issue.

As soon as the House met at 3 pm after repeated adjournments during the day, the Lok Sabha took up the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021, separately.

Discussion on the two Bills could not take place as Opposition members continued to stage protests demanding a discussion on the Pegasus snooping allegations and the farmers’ demand of repealing the three new agri laws.

Rama Devi, who was chairing the proceedings, repeatedly urged protesting members to return to their seats and participate in the discussions.

However, with protesting MPs not relenting, she went ahead with the consideration and passage of the two bills.

Earlier, the House was adjourned till noon amid sloganeering and protests by the opposition over the three farm laws.

Speaker Om Birla advised the protesters to take to their seats and even offered a debate on the subject.

Question Hour was under way when the House was adjourned.

Later, it was adjourned till 2 pm amid protests by the opposition. When the House met at 2 pm and ran for a few minutes, papers were laid on the table and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Birla before adjourning the proceedings during Question Hour took a stern stance towards the protesting Opposition.

He said the government wanted to give an answer, and if the opposition wanted an answer, they should go to their place.

He questioned the sloganeering in the House.

The dignity of the House is being tarnished by commotion and sloganeering, he said.

“You ask for answers and then don't even hear the answers, this is not fair,” the Speaker said.

He told the MPs that people had sent them to the House to raise issues. Instead of raising issues, they were shouting slogans and making a fuss, he said.

This behaviour is not appropriate, the Speaker said, as the opposition continued to protest against the alleged snooping using the Pegasus software and the farm related laws.

Meanwhile, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were also repeatedly disrupted as Opposition members protested on the phone-tapping and other issues.

The agitated members demanded that the Chair allow the Leader of Opposition to speak and created an uproar, forcing four adjournments.

The Upper House witnessed two adjournments in the pre-lunch period.

Opposition members entered the Well soon after the House resumed proceedings at 12 noon following the first adjournment and started raising slogans against the government.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid the papers pertaining to a notification on reduction of customs duties amid the din.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh made repeated appeals to the protesting members to return to their seats and allow the Question Hour to be taken up.

He, however, continued with the Question Hour amid the din.

"This is the House of elders and you should behave accordingly. Please return to your seats and allow the question hour to function," the deputy chairman said.

The House was again adjourned for an hour at 2 pm as Opposition members continued to raise slogans.

As soon as the House resumed at 3 pm, the Opposition members continued their protests on the phone-tapping and other issues and demanded that the Chair allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak.

BJP member Sasmit Patra, in the Chair, asked BJP leader Jugalsinh Mathurji Lokhandwala to continue the debate on The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021.

The opposition members did not give any heed to Patra's request to maintain order in the House and go back to their seats. They continued raising slogans against the government, forcing Patra to adjourn the house till 4 pm. — with PTI

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