Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned twice in pre-lunch period

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings on Thursday were adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period after opposition members created uproar over issues of price rise and Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on daily essentials.

While the House was first adjourned for about an hour soon after it met for the day, it was again adjourned briefly for 10 minutes during the Question Hour as opposition members continued to create uproar.

The opposition parties led by the Congress tried to raise the issues of price rise and levy of GST on daily essentials.

Opposition party MPs carried placards with slogans against price rise and GST, and with prices of essential goods before and after the Modi government came to power.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh urged protesting members not to enter the well with placards saying it not as per parliamentary traditions.

"Please go to your seats and do not display placards. They are against Rajya Sabha rules," he said.

"The Question Hour is very important and those in the well with placards are wrong. This is against the rules of procedure," Harivansh said, as he continued the Question Hour in the din.

Opposition member Sanjay Singh stood before the chair of the Secretary General, who was not present as he is the returning officer for the presidential election.

Holding a placard, he appeared before the deputy chairman and kept raising slogans when the chair adjourned the House briefly for 10 minutes at around 12.25 PM.

Earlier, soon after the House met Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu ordered that those carrying placards and other articles should be named in the House Bulletin with remarks that the Chair disapproved of their actions.

Later, he adjourned the proceedings till 12 pm.

The first three days of the Monsoon Session of Parliament have been washed out amid opposition protests. Thursday appeared no different with not even official listed papers laid on the table of the House.

When the House assembled for the day, Naidu greeted Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on his 80th birthday. Thereafter, Dharmasthala Heggade took oath as a member of the Upper House of Parliament.

Soon after, opposition MPs were up on their feet trying to raise the issue of price rise and levy of GST on items like wheat, rice and curd.

Some carried placards and others packets of items on which GST was levied from July 18.

"No placards, no articles," Naidu said. "I have to name those people... I order that names of those carrying placards should be mentioned in the House Bulletin and also mention that the chairman stated that this act was objectionable."

As MPs started to move towards the well of the House, he had adjourned the proceedings till 12 pm.