Both Houses Adjourned for the Day Amid Oppn Uproar on Fuel Prices

Both the Houses will be returning to their pre-COVID working time of 11 am to 6 pm from Tuesday, reports said.

Image used for representational purpose.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday, 8 March, the day the Parliament's Budget Session resumed, as members of the Opposition created an uproar over the rising fuel prices.

Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till Tuesday as the House also saw ruckus by the Opposition over the increase in petrol and diesel prices across the country.

What Happened in Lok Sabha?

The Lower House was first adjourned till 7 pm amid protests over fuel prices before being adjourned for the day.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had earlier called for the session to be dedicated to women to mark the International Women's Day. "Today is International Women's Day. Women MPs want to discuss women empowerment and draw your attention towards it. I request you that today, the House be dedicated to women, chaired by women and they discuss their issues and other issues," he was quoted as saying.

What Happened in Rajya Sabha?

With the proceedings beginning at 9 am, the Upper House was adjourned multiple times amidst uproar by Opposition members who sought a debate on the issue of rising fuel prices.

The ruckus began after the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu rejected Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s demand to suspend the business under rule 267 over fuel price hike.

Speaking in the House, Kharge said, “Petrol and diesel prices are nearly Rs 100 per litre and Rs 80 per litre respectively. LPG prices have also gone up. Since 2014, a total of Rs 21 lakh crore have been collected as excise duty. Because of this, the country is suffering, prices are going up.”

Members of the House then raised slogans in the Rajya Sabha, prompting Chairman Venkaiah Naidu to reportedly say, “I don’t want to take any drastic action on the first day.”

Kharge recently took over as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha after senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad retired, leaving the position vacant.

Petrol and diesel prices have been rising continuously since 9 February.

In the 14 increases since then, prices have gone up by Rs 4.22 per litre for petrol while the diesel rate has risen by Rs 4.34 a litre in Delhi, IANS reported.

The increase in the previous weeks has taken petrol to cross historically high levels of Rs 100 a litre in several places across the country.

Naidu Miffed at Low Attendance in the House

Addressing the House, Naidu had expressed concern over low attendance in the House and said that members weren’t attending sessions despite being in Delhi.

“Going to library is going to enhance your knowledge. Attending the session, not missing it, also enhances understanding of Parliament procedures. I call upon members to please visit the library, make use of the library... and also please attend Parliament,” Naidu said, adding that “I am told they are in Delhi but they are not present in the House.”

Naidu said that he was not referring to any particular member or party.

Parliament Timings to be Restored to Normal Hours

The Rajya Sabha will return to its pre-COVID working time of 11 am to 6 pm, from Tuesday.

According to sources cited by PTI, the Lok Sabha timings will also be restored to the normal hours of 11 am onwards from Tuesday.

The Budget Session might also be cut short and conclude before Holi, the sources cited further said.

Earlier, due to the COVID-19 protocol, the Upper House was working from 9 am to 2 pm and the members were seated in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Chambers and galleries. The Lower House functioned later in the day.

Session Amid Assembly Election Preparations

The session comes amid high-intensity preparations for the Assembly elections in several states of the country. Trinamool MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien had written to authorities to adjourn the session, saying that many MPs would be unable to attend the session due to the elections.

The first phase of the Budget Session of Parliament had commenced with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind on 29 January and concluded on 13 February. The Union Budget was tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February.

(With inputs from, PTI, IANS and ANI.)