Rajya Sabha adjourns for the day as oppn raises Adani bribery, other issues

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings on Monday were adjourned for the day without transacting any business as opposition parties sought to raise the allegations of bribery against the Adani group, violence in UP's Sambhal district and Manipur among other issues.

The Upper House of Parliament was first adjourned within minutes of meeting for the day and was then adjourned for the whole day amid continued opposition protests.

Soon after the House met at 12 noon, opposition members raised their issues, including the allegations of bribery against the Adani group and the recent violence in Sambhal and Manipur, but Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said nothing will go on record.

As he allowed the Question Hour to proceed, Tiruchi Siva of the DMK also sought to raise some issues, which the chairman said he would allow only after the members took their seats and maintained decorum.

As the opposition members continued to raise an uproar, Chairman Dhankhar adjourned the House for the day.

The Rajya Sabha has failed to transact any business ever since the start of the session on November 25. The first week of the session was a washout as opposition members continued to raise an uproar while seeking to raise their issues.

Earlier, soon after the House met for the day, the chairman disallowed 20 notices served under rule 267, including eight that had sought a discussion on the US indictment on the alleged payment of USD 265 million in bribes by the Adani group to secure solar power supply contracts.

Stating that the notices do not call for admittance, Dhankhar went on to equate the situation in Parliament, which has seen repeated adjournments since it met for the Winter Session on December 25, to Murphy's Law that states, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

"It appears that there exists a deliberate algorithm to actualise Murphy's laws in this august House, consequently impeding the proper functioning of Parliament. We find ourselves achieving precisely the antithesis of what our Constitution ordains," he said.

Dhankhar asked the opposition MPs to allow the House to take up the listed agenda for the day.

But the opposition MPs rose to their feet, seeking to raise the issues for which they had given notices under rule 267 seeking to set aside the proceedings to discuss them.

The chairman appealed to them in the name of the framers of the Constitution to allow the functioning of Parliament. "Don't make it dysfunctional," he said.

As the opposition parties continued to raise the issues, he adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.

While Congress MPs sought to raise the charges against the Adani group, four notices were served by Samajwadi Party (SP) members to raise law and order issues in Sambhal.

The other notices under rule 267, which calls for suspending the listed business of the House to take up discussion on the issue being sought to be raised, pertained to the continued violence in Manipur, increase in crimes in Delhi, atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh and special assistance to the flood-hit Wayanad district of Kerala.

The Adani group has denied all charges in the US indictment, calling them baseless.