Congress MPs hold protest on Parliament stairs (ANI photo)
Both Houses of Parliament witnessed repeated disruptions on Wednesday amid continued opposition protests and clashes with ruling party MPs. The Lok Sabha was adjourned multiple times amid sloganeering, banners and placards displayed by Congress and other opposition members, including allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and criticism over the India–US trade deal.During the day, several incidents drew attention. Rahul Gandhi was seen outside the House holding a memoir of former Army Chief Naravane, and later engaged in a heated exchange with Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu. Inside the House, Union minister Piyush Goyal defended the India-US trade deal, saying India had “successfully safeguarded” agriculture and dairy sectors, while Mallikarjun Kharge warned it could harm Indian farmers and benefit American producers.Lok Sabha was adjourned soon after resuming at 5 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was also cancelled.Opposition protests with ‘PM is compromised’ banner The Lok Sabha was adjourned on Wednesday amid heavy sloganeering by Opposition members, who were protesting outside Parliament with posters reading “PM is compromised.” The protests followed the suspension of eight Opposition MPs during the Budget Session a day earlier. The House resumed at 12.00 pm.The suspended MPs include Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, as well as CPI(M) MP S Venkatesan. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had repeated the allegation while speaking to the media on the India–US trade agreement.‘Safeguarded agriculture, dairy’: Piyush Goyal hails India-US trade deal Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal defended the India–US bilateral trade agreement in the Lok Sabha, saying India had “successfully safeguarded” its sensitive sectors, especially agriculture and dairy, after nearly a year of negotiations.Goyal said it was natural for both countries to protect their critical interests and that negotiations over the past year had led to finalisation of several areas of the agreement. Referring to a recent phone call between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump, Goyal said Trump announced a tariff reduction to 18 per cent, stressing that this was “lower than the US tariff on several competitor nations”.Rahul calls Ravneet Singh Bittu ‘traitor’, Bittu responds with ‘desh ka dushman’Rahul Gandhi, and union minister of state for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, engaged in a heated exchange outside Parliament on Wednesday, with Gandhi calling Bittu a “traitor.”The incident occurred as Bittu passed by protesting Congress MPs at the Makar Dwar. Gandhi’s remark came in the context of Bittu leaving Congress and joining the BJP in 2024. Gandhi said, “Here is a traitor walking right by. Look at the face.” He even offered to shake Bittu’s hand, adding, “Hello, brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry, you will come back (to Congress).”Bittu refused the handshake and responded by calling Gandhi “Desh ke dushman (enemy of the state).” The exchange reportedly began after Bittu commented on the protesting MPs, saying, “They are sitting as if they won a war.” Shashi Tharoor trips and falls on Parliament stairs; Akhilesh helpsCongress MP Shashi Tharoor slipped and fell while coming down the stairs at the Parliament complex. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, along with other MPs and staff members, immediately helped him get back on his feet. MPs spar in Speaker’s office as Nishikant Dubey flashes ‘Bofors’ book Opposition and BJP MPs had a heated exchange in Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s office on Wednesday following remarks made by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey targeting the Gandhi family. After the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned, Congress MPs met the Speaker to protest the Chair’s decision to allow Dubey to speak on the issue in the House. They objected to his remarks and raised concerns over the manner in which the matter was taken up during the session. Earlier during the proceedings, Dubey had referred to several books and spoke about their contents related to different members of the Gandhi family. He said that while Rahul Gandhi wanted to speak about an unpublished book, he had brought multiple published books to present what he described as material against the Gandhi family.India-US trade deal will hurt farmers, agriculture sector at risk: Kharge Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the proposed India–US trade deal would harm Indian farmers and damage the country’s agriculture sector.He said the deal would benefit American farmers at the cost of Indian interests and criticised the government, saying it was an insult to Parliament that lawmakers learnt about the deal during the ongoing session from US President Donald Trump, and not from the Indian government. Kharge quoted US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who had said that the new India–US deal would allow American farm products access to India’s large markets, raise prices and bring more income to rural America.Lok Sabha adjourned: PM Modi doesn’t want to face the truth, says Rahul Lok Sabha was adjourned shortly after it reassembled at 5 pm, amid indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could respond later to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.The House went into chaos as soon as the proceedings began at 5pm. Congress MPs entered the well and aisles and raised slogans over the suspension of eight MPs. Several women MPs from the opposition blocked the seats in the treasury bench, including the seat of the Prime Minister. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi shared a video on social media, claiming he had rightly predicted the Prime Minister would not come to Parliament as he was “scared” and unwilling to face the truth. Reacting to the adjournment, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged that opposition members had surrounded the Prime Minister’s chair when the House assembled in the evening, saying they had come with the intention to attack him. Go to Source