Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned till Tuesday amid Opposition protests

Members of the Rajya Sabha shortly after commencement of the session stood up on their feet raised slogans against the government accusing it of failing its duty

Parliament's Budget session resumed on Monday after a 20-day long break but proceedings were held up as Opposition parties accused the government of sleeping during last week's riots in Delhi.

Rajya Sabha adjourned amid protests

Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha shortly shouted slogans against the government accusing it of failing its duty. 

Deputy Chairman Harivansh said that debate on the violence could only take place when the house returns to normalcy and also urged three members sporting black blindfolds to remove them, saying these were against the decorum of the House. But, the Opposition MPs continued their protests. 

On February 23, violence broke out in northeast Delhi that left at least 47 people dead and hundreds injured. 

Amid slogans, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' introduced a bill which seeks to convert three deemed-to-be Sanskrit universities into Central Sanskrit Universities. The minister said that the Bill would establish and incorporate universities. Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said the bill seeks to convert three deemed-to-be Sanskrit universities into Central Sanskrit Universities.  The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 was passed by Lok Sabha in December last year.

The Opposition continued with their protests, even as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that the issues were important but the house should focus on restoring normalcy and discussing ways of prevention. When his appeals fell to alleviate the ruckus, he adjourned the house for the day. 

Shoving and pushing rocks Lok Sabha

Congress and BJP members shoved and pushed each other in the Lok sabha on Monday which rocked proceedings of the house. The Opposition protested against the Delhi violence and demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation. Congress members barged into well of the house and raised slogans shoving and pushing BJP members. Speaker was forced to adjourn the house three times till 4:30 as the protest continued. 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned their "unruly behaviour" and asked the Speaker to continue with normal business.
 

Joshi alleged that "these are the people" who have provoked the riots. "They murdered 3,000 people in 1984 (riots) and did no investigation. The priority is to restore peace... but they want to create tension," he said. 

Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan introduced a bill that seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks in Lok Sabha on Monday. He introduced the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 amid vehement protests by opposition members. 

Speaker Om Birla adjourned the house till 3 pm as the scuffle continued. 

Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani were seen trying to pacify the agitated members.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were present in the House during the uproar.

The house was again adjourned till 4:30 pm by the Chair. Some Opposition members placed a placard demanding Shah's resignation on the Speaker's table but it was swiftly removed by the staff.

Earlier, Birla asked leaders of oppositions parties to ensure that their members take their respective seats as the "people of the country are watching".

Expressing his dismay at the scuffle, Birla said he does not want to run it under such circumstances and adjourned the session till Tuesday.