New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were repeatedly disrupted on the opening day of the Monsoon Session on Monday, with the House being adjourned five times as Opposition members raised slogans and displayed placards over the NEET paper leak and the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple.
When the House reassembled at 2 p.m., it was adjourned again within minutes. Presiding officer Jagdambika Pal adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 p.m. as opposition protests showed no signs of easing.
Pal said there was adequate quorum to conduct business, but some opposition MPs alleged they were being prevented from entering the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the House could not function if the disruptions continued.
Previously, as soon as the House met at 11 a.m., opposition members started raising slogans, forcing Speaker Om Birla to adjourn the proceedings till 12 noon as the Question Hour was being taken up.
Birla objected to two members raising slogans when obituary references were read out on the demise of six former MPs, saying it was not a good precedent.
When the House met again at 12 noon, noisy protests continued and the House was adjourned till 12.30 p.m.
Before the proceedings were adjourned, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced a Bill to replace an ordinance that increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.
Similar scenes were witnessed at 12.30 p.m. when repeated pleas by the Chair to take up Zero Hour failed to get a positive response from opposition members. Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, adjourned the proceedings till 1 p.m.
When the House met at 1 p.m., the protests by the opposition continued.
Saikia, who was in the Chair, asked the opposition members to go back to their seats and participate in the proceedings.
"The House is ready for discussions on various issues. But you are not interested. You don't want to discuss people's issues. This is not the way. You are disrupting the House repeatedly. You are showing banners and posters, which is not acceptable," he said.
As the opposition ignored his appeal, Saikia adjourned the House till 2 p.m.