Winter session: Lok Sabha adjourns till 2 pm amid Opposition protests

LS proceedings were adjourned on Friday till 2 pm amid vociferous protests by Opposition members demanding the removal of Union minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Friday till 2 pm amid vociferous protests by Opposition members demanding the removal of Union minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh.

The Question Hour in the Lower House was disrupted for the third straight day as Opposition members demanded the removal of the minister whose son Ashish Mishra is among the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh in October.

Soon after the House met for the day, Opposition members started shouting slogans and displaying placards, demanding the sacking of the minister. Many members also trooped into the Well of the House.

Amid the din, Speaker Om Birla told the protesting members that the Question Hour was important and it was not a good practice to indulge in sloganeering.

"You don't want to run the House, you don't want discussions...," a peeved Birla asked the protesting members.

The Speaker also warned the members protesting in the Well against damaging any properties of the House. "If any property of the Lok Sabha is damaged, then it will be your responsibility," he told the members.

Four questions and their supplementaries were taken up during the Question Hour.

As the ruckus continued, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.