New Delhi: After chaotic Lok Sabha proceedings a day earlier, the House reconvened Tuesday. However, it was adjourned just 9 minutes after the proceedings started.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 p.m.
This came amid the Opposition’s uproar over Monday’s proceedings when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi tried to raise the 2020 Ladakh standoff issue, while citing a magazine article, which he claimed quoted the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane (Retd.).
However, Gandhi was interrupted repeatedly by the treasury benches, who urged him to present “authentic” sources to support his claims. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also interrupted the LoP’s speech, questioning the authenticity of the statements.
Chaos erupted in the House, but Gandhi remained adamant on raising the Ladakh standoff issue for “national security” purposes.
Amid this, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stood up and said: “… What do you gain by portraying the country in a poor light? We may have differences of opinion, but in the national interest, we should all stand together.”
“You (Rahul Gandhi) are repeatedly raising things that you do not know about. There is no clarification about the book or the magazine. You are trying to humiliate our Army by making such statements. If Rahul Gandhi wants to talk about the borders, then tell us how much land did the Congress surrender to China in 1962?” Rijiju questioned.
Speaker Om Birla issued a ruling stating that no one can quote a news article or magazine, citing Parliamentary rules, and stated that only “authentic sources” can be quoted in the House.
Gandhi’s statement and subsequent insistence triggered an uproar in the House and have since spilt into a heated war of words outside the Parliament.
In the middle of the Budget Session, when the House was debating the President’s address, Gandhi claimed the account revealed details of a 2020 Ladakh standoff with China and pressed the Central government to explain why it was “so scared” of such references.
This led to disruptions and protests from Congress MPs.
The sloganeering continued Tuesday, which led to Speaker Birla adjourning the House till 12 a.m.