New Delhi: Amid repeated disruptions by Congress members who trooped into the Well of the House and raised slogans, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m. today with the Congress Party insisting on the dismissal of the SAD-led government in Punjab for its inability in maintaining law and order.
Earlier, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned thrice till 12.30 p.m., as the BSP and the Congress demanded the dismissal of the coalition government in Punjab.
As soon as the House met for the day, BSP members trooped into well raising slogans against the state government.
They said that the chopping of the hands and legs of two Dalits by the henchmen of a businessman close to the Badal family was unpardonable.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad described the action of the Akali leader as the worst case of terrorism. He also highlighted the case of a 12-year-old girl being run over by a truck. Azad demanded that the state government should be dismissed immediately.
BSP leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati endorsed the demand for the dismissal of the Punjab government.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the state government is taking action against the people responsible.
Meanwhile, the Congress, TMC and Left members staged a walk out from the Lok Sabha against the ‘exclusion’ of Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy from a function in Kollam to be attended by Prime Minister Modi tomorrow.
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu defended his ministry’s decision to demolish a slum settlement in Delhi and said in Parliament that the encroachers had been served multiple notices to vacate the area.
“I will meet with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal later today to discuss encroachments in other areas of Delhi and how to tackle it,” Prabhu said.
Senior BJP MP and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu urged Prabhu to ensure that such demolition drives do not take place during winter.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also made a statement in the Rajya Sabha today on her recent visit to Islamabad and on developments related to bilateral relations between India and Pakistan amidst loud protests from the opposition benches.
In her statement, which was largely inaudible because of the opposition repeatedly calling for a stop to the proceedings in the house, Swaraj detailed the circumstances under which her visit was organised and what took place in Islamabad with the Pakistani leadership.
She said that it has always been the Indian Government’s endeavour to maintain relations with neighbouring countries, including Pakistan. (ANI)