Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 PM after Oppn uproar over MPs' suspensions

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period on Monday after Opposition members created uproar in the house over the suspension of some of their colleagues.

The house was first adjourned soon after it met and then again a few minutes after the house met at 12 for the Question Hour.

Opposition members belonging to the Trinamool Congress, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Left trooped into the Well of the House, raising slogans against the government.

The Opposition members carrying placards demanded the revocation of the suspension of 12 members while raising slogans.

Deputy chairman Harivansh appealed to the protesting members to go back to their seats and allow the Question Hour to be taken up.

TMC member Derek O'Brien rose to ask a supplementary question but sought to raise the issue of suspension of members instead, but was not allowed by the chair. "Why has democracy dried up in the country?" Derak asked anyway.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the sloganeering by opposition members showed their intention.

The Opposition should instead apologise to the House for "lowering" the dignity of the House by "manhandling" female security personnel.

The Chair then adjourned the House as Opposition members continued to raise slogans and appeals to maintain decorum went unheeded.

The House was earlier adjourned till 12 pm soon after the laying of papers as Opposition members created uproar.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu called for the first Zero Hour mention after the listed papers were laid on the table.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a statement from the Home Minister on the Nagaland firing incident.

Naidu said it is a very serious issue, and he has spoken to the defence minister and the home minister on it.

The chairman said the home minister has informed that he will make a statement on the issue this afternoon.

As the Chairman called for the first Zero Hour (where matters are raised with the permission of the Chair) mention, some members wanted to raise their points.

Naidu tried to carry on with the Zero Hour, but the protest continued.

"The House is adjourned sacrificing Zero Hour, public issues because of some people are not cooperating," he said, and adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.

Twelve Opposition MPs -- six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M) -- were suspended from Rajya Sabha last Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their "unruly" conduct in the previous session in August.