Parliament Monsoon Session: Amid ruckus Rajya Sabha adjourned till noon; Lok Sabha till 2 pm

Opposition members have been alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hiding behind his ministers to evade speaking on the Manipur issue and insulting the parliamentary democracy by not coming to the House.

New Delhi:Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid sloganeering from the Opposition demanding a debate on Manipur while Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon after ruckus by the Opposition members who were insisting on a discussion on debate following a comprehensive statement from the Prime Minister.

• 11.26 am
  Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon today after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar ruled of declining 60 notices received under Rule 267 of the House seeking discussion on Manipur. He recalled that the House was attempting to take up the discussion under Rule 176 on Manipur situation.
• 11.18 am
  Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Session till 2 pm after loud sloganeering by the Opposition demanding a debate on Manipur. His attempts to put the House in order did not fructify.

Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to table the Delhi services bill which seeks to replace an ordinance that mandated the creation of an authority for transfers and postings of senior officers in the Delhi government, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, amid objections from the Opposition. The ordinance which the Bill seeks to legislate has been a bone of contention between the ruling BJP in the Centre and the AAP government which rules the national capital.

After Shah introduces the bill, his deputy Nityanand Rai will make a statement on the reasons for bringing an "immediate legislation" by promulgating the ordinance, according to the revised list of business for Tuesday. The ordinance has become a rallying point for opposition parties against the BJP-led NDA.

Monsoon Session of the Parliament has been a near washout with little business having been carried out in both the Houses owing to the protest from the Opposition over the ethnic strife in Manipur. The Opposition have been demanding that the Prime Minister should make an elaborate statement in both the Houses and a debate without any time limit will have to be taken up.

On Monday, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it reassembled at 3.30 pm as the opposition kept insisting on a discussion on the Manipur issue under Rule 267 of the House. The House witnessed four adjournments earlier in the day. While Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar maintained that the government is ready for a discussion on the situation in strife-torn Manipur right now, the Opposition wanted the discussion to be taken up under Rule 267.

The Lok Sabha too was adjourned for the day on Monday following protests by the opposition. When the House met at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla announced that a parliamentary delegation from Malawi is visiting India. "They are watching the proceedings of the House," he said, and welcomed the foreign delegation and wished them a pleasant stay here.

As he wound his speech, the Opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from PM Modi on Manipur. The Opposition's no confidence motion is pending with the Speaker who has assured that he would take it up during the present session while the former has been upset that the House is continuing with the legislative business despite the pending the no-confidence motion. Modi is on an one day trip to Pune today where he will be launching the first phase of Pune Metro besides accepting Lokmanya Tilak National Award.