Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 PM on Tuesday after opposition members continued sloganeering amid the ongoing row over Rahul Gandhi’s Parliament speech.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Opposition of disrupting proceedings and stalling the functioning of Parliament. Rijiju said several opposition parties were willing to participate in a discussion on the Union Budget 2026–27, but alleged that the Congress was unwilling to allow the House to function.
“It’s budget time today, and we should discuss it. I told Congress yesterday as well to discuss it. Leaders from DMK, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool are ready to speak, but Congress does not want Parliament to function,” he said.
He further appealed to the Opposition not to undermine parliamentary decorum. “I am saying that Congress has already lowered the House’s dignity a lot, and now don’t let it fall further. Let the discussion on the Budget take place,” Rijiju said.
This comes amid the ongoing row, which began on February 2 after the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi quoted from an article citing an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane on the India-China conflict of 2020. This led to protests by the Centre, which flagged that it was against the rules to cite an unpublished source in the Lok Sabha speech.
Since then, there have been vociferous protests by opposition members, alleging that the Chair disallowed Gandhi to speak in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Amid uproarious scenes, eight opposition MPs were suspended for the rest of the session last week.
Earlier today, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon amid protests by the opposition. As the House moved into Question Hour, opposition MPs began shouting slogans and pressed the Chair to give them an opportunity to speak.
Samajwadi Party member Iqra Choudhary raised a question, but the minister’s response could not be heard amid the continued disruptions.
The situation escalated when Congress MPs entered the Well of the House, while members of the SP, Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties remained near their seats and in the aisles in a show of support.
With the disorder continuing, P C Mohan, who was presiding, adjourned the House till 12 noon.
Meanwhile, the Congress party will submit a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over various issues, sources said. The Congress will submit the notice to Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh today.
