The proceedings of the Lok Sabha were adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday following a ruckus by the opposition members who were protesting on alleged Pegasus snooping case, inflation and other issues.

Soon after the House assembled at 11 a.m., the opposition members started sloganeering and some of them even came into the well of the House.

Speaker Om Birla tried to convince them to go to their seats and also asked them to join the proceedings.

“Question Hour is important and you can raise the issues of the people. Sloganeering in the House is not the right thing, yesterday was World Tribal Day and the House wanted to discuss the huge contribution of the tribals in India’s Independence but due to your protest, it could not take place,” he said.

The protesting members did not pay any heed to the Chair’s advice following which Birla adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Earlier, during the Question Hour, BJP lawmaker Sushil Kumar Singh asked about the steps the government was taking to secure the interests of consumers and small businesses from the big e-commerce companies doing business in India.

The Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that the “local for vocal” schemes have been launched while the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, has also been implemented.

Admitting that big e-commerce companies have been slowly destroying small businesses in India, the Minister for Consumer Affairs Piyush Goyal said that the Modi government is committed to safeguard the interests of the small traders and shopkeepers.

He also said that in India, small businesses employ about 13 crore people. “After e-commerce companies were allowed to operate in India, they have taken recourse to legal complexities to further their interest. It is a matter of grave concern the world over,” he added.

The Minister also informed the House that the Enforcement Directorate has also been conducting a probe into certain allegations whereas the Supreme Court on Monday decided that the Competition Commission would be allowed to conduct its investigation.

“We are fixing liability of e-commerce platforms to address the consumer grievances,” he added.