Lok Sabha witnesses disruptions as members protest

New Delhi: The proceedings of the Lok Sabha Thursday were adjourned twice during Question Hour following protests by opposition parties over various issues, including alleged corruption in the Rafale deal and Cauvery river water. As soon as the Question Hour began after paying tributes to martyrs of the 2001 Parliament attack, members from the Congress, TDP and AIADMK rushed to the Well raising slogans.

Demanding a law on construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, Shiv Sena members were seen holding placards in the aisle. TDP member Venkateshwara Rao (Babu) used a mike installed in the Well for the oath of a new member to prop up a poster seeking special status for Andhra Pradesh. A Lok Sabha secretariat staffer tried to convince him not to use the mike. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar too tried to convince him to keep down the mike.

The TDP member's action invited the ire of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who warned him that he will be named. Once a member is named, he or she has to leave the House chamber. The Speaker then adjourned the House for nearly 10 minutes till 11.20 AM. When the House assembled again, Mahajan reminded the members that they can raise issues under various rules. Apparently referring to the Lok Sabha polls due in 2019, she said it was a "crucial time" and members should use it to raise issues related to the public.

She said Lok Sabha is for all states and regions and all should get a chance to raise their respective issues. But opposition members remained unconvinced and returned to the Well. Members of the Shiv Sena were seated on the front rows but did not raise slogans. Members from TMC, Left and NCP were also seated on their benches. As the bedlam continued, the House was adjourned for nearly 30 minutes till noon.