Rajya Sabha adjourned amidst oppn protests demanding discussion on Adani issue

While adjourning the house, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said opposition members, who had trooped inside the well of the House, will be "dealt with"

New Delhi: Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day on Friday following uproar by opposition members seeking a debate on the Adani issue.

While adjourning the house, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said opposition members, who had trooped inside the well of the House, will be “dealt with”.

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“The House stands adjourned to meet at 1100 hours on Monday on February 6, 2023 with a caution note. Those who have come in the well of the House violating the regime applicable here will be dealt with,” Dhankhar said.

As soon as the Upper House resumed at 2.30 pm after being adjourned in the morning, Dhankhar called for the introduction of private member bills.

However, the opposition members continued their protest, demanding a discussion and a joint parliamentary committee probe into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout in Adani Group company stocks.

Dhankhar asked the members who had entered the well of the House to go back to their seats, saying he shares the “distress and anguish” of millions of people over “the kind of lack of decorum we are exhibiting here”.

“People expect us to deliberate and I expect honourable members to abide by the long-standing tradition, the essence of parliamentary practice to go by the decision of the chair,” he said.

Dhankhar asked the members to maintain order and allow the business of the House to be taken up. But the unrelenting opposition members continued their protest, following which, he adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier in the day, Dhankhar rejected the 15 adjournment notices filed by members of various opposition parties to discuss the Adani Group issue in the wake of allegations made against the conglomerate by a US-based short seller.

“I have received 15 notices under Rule 267 from different members… I have gone through all the notices. I am unable to accede to them as these are not fulfilling the requirements of rule 267 and are not in conformity with the direction by the chair on December 8, 2022,” the chairman said, leading to uproar from opposition members.

“You have done your job. You have brought issues to my notice and I have given my ruling,” he said.

He told the Rajya Sabha that of the 15 notices he received for consideration under rule 267, six from Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Syed Naseer Hussain, Pramod Tiwari, Kumar Ketkar, Amee Yajnik and Neeraj Dangi are identical.

Notices from John Brittas, A A Raheem, V Sivadasan and Tiruchi Siva are also identical. The other notices are from K Keshava Rao, Elamaram Kareem, Sanjay Singh, Santhosh Kumar P and Priyanka Chaturvedi, the chairman noted.

Dhankhar told the protesting members that Parliament is the essence and the North Star of democracy. It is a place for discussion and deliberation to realise the aspirations and dreams of the people and not a place of disturbance, he said.