Rajya Sabha adjourned yet again

The Rajya Sabha after witnessing disruption on Friday over the government’s decision to reduce the wheat import duty to zero per cent, got adjourned for the day in want of Quorum soon after it met after lunch.

During pre-lunch session, the upper house witnessed uproar and adjourned twice.

As the house met at 11, the opposition parties began shouting slogans against the government.

They accused the government of being “anti-farmer”.

“The anti-farmer government will not be allowed to function,” the Opposition shouted.

The house was then adjourned till noon. It was again disrupted over the same issue as it reassembled at noon and was adjourned till 2.30 p.m.

Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari requested the agitated members to let the house function, but his pleas went unheard.

He then asked if the members wanted the Question Hour to be taken up. On this, the slogan-shouting MPs said “no”.

The Chairman, who tried to restore peace in the house, said “nothing can be done in this noise”.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said over 70 hours of the Rajya Sabha have been wasted and the opposition was not allowing the house to function even after President Pranab Mukherjee appealed to them.

“The country will not forgive them,” he said.

The Chairman then adjourned the house till 2.30 p.m.

As the house met after lunch, Anand Sharma of the Congress urged Deputy Speaker P.J. Kurien to adjourn it as there was no quorum.

Kurien then directed the authorities concerned to ring the quorum bell but the quorum could not be completed and the house was finally adjourned for the day.