Rajya Sabha proceedings washed out, to meet on Monday

Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Friday washed out for the second day in a row amid uproar by the opposition over the Manipur situation and other issues.

The house, which was adjourned in the morning session over the Manipur issue and the Opposition raising objections to the Chair expunging certain words from the record, witnessed uproarious scenes when it reassembled post-lunch. Soon after reassembling at 2:30 pm, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar informed the members about the report of the business advisory committee (BAC) after its meeting held on Thursday and said it should be taken into account. This led to uproar in the house with several opposition members raising objections over the listing of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill along with the Forest Conservation Bill, saying they had already expressed their views against the proposed legislations during the BAC meeting.

Amid the uproar and with most opposition members on their feet, the Chairman adjourned the house till Monday within minutes of its resumption. The pre-lunch session also saw uproar over the Manipur violence and the chair expunging certain words from proceedings of the House. Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm as TMC's Derek O'Brien sought to raise a point of order over the expunging of certain words from the House proceedings on Thursday. The opening day of the Monsoon session of Parliament had witnessed heated exchanges over the Manipur violence and the May 4 video of two women being paraded naked in the northeastern state. While the House proceedings were washed out in protests, Dhankhar had expunged references made by O'Brien seeking the prime minister's response to the violence.

On Friday, he sought to raise a point of order over the expunging of the words. Referring to the rule and page number from the rule book, O'Brien said the rule pertains to expunging of words used in Parliament -- what can be used and what can't be. "Three words were expunged. Yesterday we said the Prime Minister should open his mouth on Manipur. Prime Minister got expunged. Manipur got expunged. Why?" he asked. While he sought to know if any of the words were not fit for parliamentary proceedings, the chairman repeatedly asked what his point of order was. As O'Brien tried to explain, the House plunged into disorder. At this point, Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm. O'Brien walked up to the Chair's podium to convey the point he was raising but Dhankar left the chamber. Earlier, after official papers were laid, Dhankhar started reading out time allocated for government business.

He began this by mentioning The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill that is to replace an ordinance on services in Delhi. Even before he could complete it, AAP MPs were up on their feet calling the bill "unconstitutional". Dhankhar asked them to maintain decorum in the House. But MPs from AAP, including Sanjay Singh, continued to object, saying no bill can be brought that is unconstitutional. "I give time to everyone in accordance with rules. This House is the house of elders. Our conduct is being watched by more than 1.3 billion people. We have to be exemplary in our conduct so that we can be appreciated. It is not a public street. It is not a platform," the chairman said