New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm Thursday after repeated appeals by Speaker Om Birla to maintain order in the House went unheeded, as persistent sloganeering by Opposition members disrupted proceedings.
The Opposition continued its protests over the NEET paper leak demonstrations, demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the police action against protesters as well as the alleged Ram Temple donation theft controversy.
With the House unable to function amid the uproar, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till 2 p.m.
The continuing protests have prevented the Question Hour from functioning even for a single day during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, as repeated disruptions kept stalling regular legislative business.
Wednesday, despite sustained protests by Opposition members, the Lok Sabha passed a Bill aimed at recognising digital and virtual records as admissible evidence in courts.
The legislation, which was cleared through a voice vote without any discussion, seeks to modernise the legal framework governing evidence related to bankers’ books by bringing it in line with contemporary digital banking practices. It also covers matters connected or incidental to the legislation.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Opposition for protesting over the alleged Ram Temple donation scam, accusing Congress, the CPI and the Samajwadi Party of consistently opposing Lord Ram.
Referring to the Opposition’s “chanda chori” skit staged within the Parliament premises, Rijiju said it had hurt the sentiments of people across the country.
The Union Minister also alleged that the Opposition was deliberately preventing Parliament from functioning.
“K.C. Venugopal is a good man, but he is unable to make his party members understand and maintain decorum,” Rijiju told the House, while asserting that the government was prepared for a discussion.
Meanwhile, targeting the BJP over the Ram Temple issue, Venugopal said: “The people who looted the Ram temple are now accusing Congress of being ‘Ram virodhi’. People will laugh at such allegations. We are asking for action against those who took money from Ram temple donations, and they have no answer to that.”
