(From left) DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, NCP’s Vandana Chavan and CPM’s K K Ragesh at Parliament. (Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

Both Houses of Parliament witnessed disruptions on Monday, with Opposition members protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). While Rajya Sabha proceedings were washed out after several adjournments, Lok Sabha saw Opposition MPs protest in the Well against the new law.

The Upper House was adjourned twice in the morning and as many times in the afternoon, with Opposition MPs protesting after chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow their notices for discussion on the countrywide protests against the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Several MPs, including Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma and Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, had submitted notices under Rule 267 and sought a discussion on the protests.

Declining to allow the notices, Naidu said, “…there is no need to suspend the business under Rule 267 and take up the discussion because there would be enough opportunities during discussion on the President’s Address that is there before the House. Members can raise their points of concern during the discussion on the Motion on the President’s Address. Also, in the President’s Address itself, there is specific reference to the Citizenship Amendment Act and related issues.”

When Opposition MPs protested, the House was adjourned. When the House reconvened, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asked, “Fundamental question is that this House is governed by rules and if no notices under Rule 267 are to be allowed, should that rule be deleted then?”

The House was adjourned two more times as the Opposition MPs continued to protest before being adjourned for the day.

Earlier in the morning, the House condoled the destruction caused by the Australian bushfires and also the death of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman. Naidu also felicitated Padma Vibhushan awardee and Rajya Sabha member M C Mary Kom and remembered former ministers Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and George Fernandes, who were honoured with the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.

In Lok Sabha, members belonging to the Congress, DMK and Left parties trooped into the Well soon after the House met and raised slogans against the government. They also displayed placards that read, ‘Save Constitution’, ‘Save India’ and ‘No CAA’. Trinamool Congress members did not join the protest.

Despite the protests, Speaker Om Birla carried on with the Question Hour. After a brief Zero Hour, he adjourned the House, but emphasised that it was a “lunch-break”.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, when allowed by the Speaker to speak during Zero Hour, said, “The Government cannot silence people’s boil (voice) with goli (bullet).”

In an apparent reference to the BJP, he said, “These are not real Hindus. Genuine Hindus do not kill others with bullets.”

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