Rajya Sabha adjourned over Rafale row

Amidst uproar by the opposition over Rafale deal, the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2

As the day began, several opposition parties held a protest near the Gandhi statue inside Parliament over the Rafale deal.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined the protestors. Holding placards, Members of Parliament from various opposition parties, like Congress, Communist Party of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Aam Aadmi Party, raised slogans demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) be formed to probe the purchase of Rafale fighter planes from France.

The row has remained dominant over the last several months, including the monsoon session of the Parliament .

The National Democratic Alliance government signed the deal with France-based Dassault Aviation to purchase 36 Rafale jets in 2016. The Congress party has time and again cornered the government over the defence pact, alleging irregularities in it and demanding the government to disclose the price of the jets.