Parliament Paralysed as Standoff Over Rahul Gandhi’s Demand to Speak Forces Repeated Adjournments
A confrontation between the government and the Opposition over Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on speaking before the start of the Union Budget debate brought proceedings in the Lok Sabha to a halt on Monday, with the House being adjourned for the day just minutes after it reconvened at 2 pm.
In total, the Lok Sabha witnessed three adjournments during the day.
When the House reassembled after the second adjournment, Sandhya Ray, who was presiding over the proceedings, invited Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to open the discussion on the Union Budget.
Tharoor, however, told the Chair that as the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi should first be allowed to make a few points before the debate formally began.
Ray responded that she had no objection to Gandhi participating in the Budget discussion and asked him to speak.
Gandhi then stated that during a meeting earlier in the day between Speaker Om Birla and some Opposition members, it had been agreed that he would be permitted to raise certain issues before the discussion commenced.
He alleged that the Chair was now going back on that understanding.
The presiding officer, however, said she was unaware of any such agreement and maintained that no member could raise an issue without giving prior notice, as per parliamentary rules.
At this juncture, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju intervened, asserting that no agreement had been reached.
He added that if the Leader of the Opposition wished to make remarks concerning the Speaker, then Birla should be present in the House to respond.
Rijiju also said that several members would want to speak on the matter, which would require a wider discussion.
With neither the government nor the Opposition willing to yield, the Chair adjourned the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the day.
Earlier Disruptions in the Lok Sabha
Earlier on Monday, the House had already been adjourned twice after Opposition members raised multiple issues and demanded their immediate discussion.
Birla, who was in the Chair at the time, said these matters could be taken up during the Union Budget debate and clarified that all members, including the Leader of the Opposition, would have the opportunity to speak.
As protests continued, the Speaker criticised the Opposition for what he described as “planned” disruptions and urged members to allow the House to function in accordance with established rules.
When the disruptions did not subside, proceedings were briefly suspended.
When the Lok Sabha reconvened at noon, Opposition parties again insisted that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak before the Budget discussion began.
As Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was presiding, called Tharoor to initiate the debate, Opposition members stood their ground and refused to proceed unless Gandhi was given the floor first.
Turmoil Spills Over to Rajya Sabha
The turmoil extended to the Rajya Sabha, which also saw repeated disruptions.
Opposition members staged a walkout after Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to raise the issue of Rahul Gandhi not being permitted to speak in the Lok Sabha.
At the start of Question Hour, Rajya Sabha Chairperson C P Radhakrishnan asked Kharge not to bring up matters relating to the other House. Kharge responded that he was raising concerns linked to the Constitution.
The Chair reiterated that issues concerning the Lok Sabha could not be discussed in the Upper House and referred to a quotation attributed to Jawaharlal Nehru, though it was not clear what specific reference he was citing.
Later, during Zero Hour at 11 am, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said he had submitted a notice of breach of privilege against Union Minister Piyush Goyal, alleging that the minister had spoken about government policy in a media interview while Parliament was in session.
The Chair noted that the issue had already been discussed, that a statement had been made in the House, and said the matter would be examined at a later stage.
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