Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were disrupted on Wednesday as Congress MPs raised slogans of “LoP ko bolne do” while staging a protest within the Parliament complex. The House convened at 2 pm but was adjourned within 10 minutes amid sustained sloganeering by Opposition members.
The disruption comes a day after eight Opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha for what was described as “unruly behaviour”, further escalating tensions between the government and the Opposition during the Budget Session.
PM Modi To Reply To Motion Of Thanks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to respond to the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha later today. The debate follows President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of both Houses at the start of the Budget Session on January 28.
In the Lok Sabha, the motion was moved by Sarbananda Sonowal and seconded by Tejasvi Surya. The House has allotted 18 hours for the discussion, with the Prime Minister expected to give his reply on Wednesday. In the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Sadanand Master moved the motion of thanks.
Rahul Gandhi Flags Right To Speak
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the government of not allowing him to complete his speech during the debate on the motion of thanks. He said he would present former Army chief General MM Naravane’s “memoir” to Prime Minister Modi.
Gandhi has also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing concern over being “prevented from speaking” on issues related to national security during the debate.
Eight Congress MPs Suspended
Eight Congress MPs have been suspended for the remainder of the session. The suspended members are Manickam Tagore, Kiran Reddy, Prashant Padole, Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurjeet Aujla, S Venkat Raman and Dean Kuriakose.
Following the suspensions, Congress leaders led by Rahul Gandhi staged a protest outside the Parliament building, demanding the revocation of the action against their MPs.
Budget Session Schedule
The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to run for 30 sittings over 65 days and will conclude on April 2. Both Houses will adjourn for recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9, during which Standing Committees will examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.