New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha witnessed a stormy start to its Friday proceedings, with the House adjourned till noon following a heated standoff between the Chair and Opposition members.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh announced that 30 notices had been received under Rule 267, seeking suspension of business to discuss matters of urgent public importance. However, he ruled that none of the submissions conformed to the procedural requirements and therefore could not be admitted.
This triggered immediate uproar from the Opposition benches, who accused the Chair of stifling debate on critical national issues.
Among the concerns raised were demands for a discussion on the Special Investigation Report in Bihar, voiced by a wide coalition of members, including Md Nadimul Haque (Trinamool Congress), Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), Tiruchi Siva (DMK MP), Ranjeet Ranjan (Congress), Neeraj Dangi (Congress), Rajani Ashokrao Patil (Congress), and others.
Simultaneously, Opposition members from Odisha flagged the alarming rise in crimes against women and children, while representatives from West Bengal raised the issue of discrimination against Bengali migrant workers in other states.
Jebi Mather (Congress) and CPI(MP)’s A.A. Rahim’s notice was for a debate on the arrest of two nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh, while Sanjay Singh (AAP) and Ramjilal Suman (SP) pressed for a discussion on the economic fallout of tariffs and penalties imposed by former US President Donald Trump on Indian exports. CPI(M)’s V. Sivadasan demanded a discussion on the crisis of mass layoffs in the Indian IT sector.
Despite repeated appeals, including a pointed intervention by Manoj Kumar Jha, the Deputy Chairman stood firm, stating that the matter concerning the SIR was sub-judice and under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India, a constitutional authority.
He reiterated that the House’s rules were clear and that Zero Hour and Question Hour could not be converted into a platform for suspended business.
This assertion only intensified the protests, with members continuing to shout slogans — “Vote chori band karo” and “Kesaria pe halla bol”, which echoed through the chamber, as members accused the Chair of denying them the right to raise grievances and issues of national importance.
Ashok Kumar Mittal of the Aam Aadmi Party rose to read out his notice for Zero Hour, but it could not be heard due to the pandemonium. The Speaker tried to pacify the Opposition members by saying, “Pura desh dekh raha hai… aap jan samasya nahi uthane de rahe hain, aap rules follow nahi karna chahte (you are not allowing fellow members to raise public issues as you do not want to follow rules).”
As the din rendered proceedings inaudible, the House was forced to adjourn.
Earlier in the day, several ministers tabled official papers and reports. Ministers Jitendra Prasad, Ram Nath Thakur, Dr. L. Murugan, Kamlesh Paswan, Navneet Singh, Bhupathi Raju Srinivas Sharma, and Pabitra Margherita presented updates on rural development and railways, including the second and sixth reports on rural development and the third report of the Standing Committee on Railways from the 18th Lok Sabha.
A statement was also made regarding government business for the upcoming week.
The legislative agenda outlined by the government included proposals for extending Presidential Rule for another six months, along with a series of Bills such as the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, the Coastal Shipping Bill 2025, the Merchant Shipping Bill, and the Indian Sports Bill.
Other items included the National Sports Bill, the National Anti-Doping Amendment Bill 2025, the Manipur Goods and Services Tax Bill, and the Appropriation Bill for Manipur for the financial year 2025–26.
A Bill proposing the readjustment of Scheduled Tribe representation in Goa was also to be introduced in next week’s business.
As the House prepared to reconvene post-noon, the mood remained tense. With the Opposition determined to press its case and the Chair holding firm on procedural grounds, the day’s proceedings appeared poised for further deadlock.
IANS
