Both the Houses of Parliament witnessed disruptions on April 3, the first day of the last week of the Budget Session, over the Adani stock controversy and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech abroad criticising the political atmosphere in the country.
Rajya Sabha passed the Competition (Amendment) Bill amid disruptions without any debate. Lok Sabha too had passed the Bill, which regulates mergers and acquisitions, in a similar manner last week.
The Upper House was adjourned within three minutes of convening for the day, till 2:00 pm, amidst persistent protest from Opposition demanding Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani-Hindenburg episode.
In the afternoon, when the House met at 2:00 p.m., Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar congratulated the members on Rajya Sabha Day. “On this day, in the year 1952, the Rajya Sabha was constituted. The Council of States, as defined in our Constitution, plays a critical role in our polity. Upholding the federal principle of our democracy, the Rajya Sabha contributes towards the welfare of the people by voicing their concerns and acting as a platform for erudite discussions,” Mr. Dhankhar said and reminded the members that the House should be a platform for debate, dialogue, deliberation and discussion, and not a theatre of disruption and disturbance.
After this, he invited Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to move a motion to pass the Competition (Amendment) Bill. The Bill was passed amid disruptions demanding JPC probe into the Adani stock controversy. Mr. Dhankar adjourned the House till Wednesday.
When proceedings in the Lok Sabha started at 11 a.m., the House didn’t witness any disruptions as Speaker Om Birla read out obituary references for sitting member from the Pune constituency and BJP leader Girish Bapat as well former Independent member, Innocent, who represented the Chalakudy constituency of Kerala. While Bapat died on March 29, Innocent passed away on March 26.
After paying homage to both, Mr. Birla adjourned the House until 2 p.m. in keeping with the convention of the House to offer respect to a sitting member who had passed away. Amid Opposition protests, Lok Sabha adjourned for the day after laying of papers. The House will meet again on Wednesday.
