The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die on Wednesday, two days before the scheduled end of the Monsoon session, but not before a major faceoff between the opposition and the government with both blaming each other for the disruption of proceedings.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned sine die earlier in the day.

Advertisement

In the upper house, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal demanded that the Chairman should constitute a special committee to enquire about the behaviour of the MPs, as done in Lok Sabha in the past, and “strict action should be taken… mere suspension will not work”.

He alleged that the opposition, right from the first day, had planned that it will not allow the house to function though the house passed 21 bills.

Earlier after passing of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Seventh Amendment) Bill 2021, which aims to restore the states and Union Territories’ power to make their own OBC lists, The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 were passed amid the din.

The opposition was against the last bill and walked out and tore papers in the house.

Trinamool Congress member Derek O’Brien later tweeted: “#Censorship Modi-Shah Gujarat model now well and truly in Delhi 6.15 PM August 11. What @rajyasabhatv is not showing you. Now, there are more security guards than MPs in the House as the Govt tries to BULLDOZE Insurance Bill.

“6.30pm FASCISM #Parliament CENSORSHIP RSTV Bad to worse. Modi-Shah’s brutal government now using “GENDER SHIELDS” to foil MP protests inside Rajya Sabha. Male marshals for women MPs. Female marshals posted in front of male MPs. (Few Oppn MPs shooting videos for proof)”.

As proceedings opened, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkiah Naidu, who completed 4 years in the office got emotional over Tuesday’s ruckus, breaking down as he spoke about how some opposition members climbed the tables and disrupted the House proceedings.

Condemning the act of the members, he said that there are means and ways to raise voices but this is not the way and it is not permissible in the democracy and that “he could not sleep in the night”.

Naidu said the chair and the area around the parliamentary reporters and Secretary General’s chair is considered the sanctum sanctorum of the House and “all sacredness of this House was destroyed yesterday when some members sat on the tables and some climbed on the tables in the House”.

On Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjay Singh and Congress’ Pratap Singh Bajwa were seen standing on the table in the video that was circulated on social media, and the Chairman has taken serious note of it.