Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon over Opposition ruckus

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha was on Tuesday adjourned till 12 noon soon after the Opposition parties raised issues including over a dozen deaths in Gujarat's Botad district due to consumption of illicit or toxic liquor.

The House faced adjournment after Rajya sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu paid tributes to soldiers who fought the 1999 war with Pakistan on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, and papers were laid on the table.

As soon as the Opposition members, including Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, showed placards and raises issues, Naidu announced adjournment of the House till 12 noon.

The AAP leaders raised issues of over a dozen deaths due to the consumption of illicit or toxic liquor in Gujarat's Botad district, while other MPs were raising other issues.

Over a dozen people were declared dead and nearly 30 people are undergoing treatment at various government hospitals in Bhavnagar, Botad, Barvala and Dhandhuka regions in Gujarat.

The Upper House has been facing adjournment on various issues due to Opposition ruckus since the Parliament's Monsoon Session started.

Earlier on Monday, four Congress MPs including Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani and TN Prathapan were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the entire Monsoon session for their 'unruly behaviour and disrupting proceedings.'

The MPs were suspended according to Rule 374 on 'unruly and disrespectful behaviour towards the Chair.'

On Friday, the proceeding in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned several times amid a ruckus by Opposition members over issues of inflation, price rise and GST hike on daily essentials.

Both the Houses are witnessing continuous adjournments since the session has begun. Notably, the Monsoon Session holds extreme importance as the election of the President and Vice-President's office is slated to take place in this session.

The Presidential polls were held on July 18 while the Vice Presidential polls will take place on August 6.

President Ram Nath Kovind's term came to an end on July 24 while the term of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is ending on August 10.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on July 18 and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the Session.