Parliament adjourned sine die after a highly productive session

Both Houses of Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – were adjourned sine die on Friday. In his valedictory remarks, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the Lok Sabha functioned for 130 hours 45 minutes in this session. The Speaker informed members that several important bills were passed and issues were discussed during the session.

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Rajya Sabha's productivity around 100%

In his valedictory remarks, Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu said the session registered around 100% productivity and passed 15 important bills. The bills that sailed through Parliament were Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, and Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill. Naidu apprised that over 11 hours were wasted in the session due to disruption but MPs nonetheless sat beyond scheduled hours to complete the business. 

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Business of the day

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the second time on Friday after the Congress, TMC, DMK and the Left created an uproar over violence in northeastern states over the amended citizenship law. No sooner the House met at noon after the first adjournment, TMC MP Derek O'Brien raised the issue of violence in the Northeast, but Chairman Venkaiah Naidu did not allow him and proceeded with the listed questions.

In meanwhile, Congress MPs too came in support of the TMC leader and soon other Opposition parties started raising slogans against the amended Citizenship Act, violence in the northeastern states, including Tripura. As ministers were replying to questions, some TMC members, including Derek O'Brien, trooped into the well of the House and some Congress MPs were seen standing in the aisle raising slogans against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chairman tried to pacify the protesting members. But as his efforts did not bring order in the House, he adjourned it till 1 pm. Earlier, in the morning session, the House was adjourned as members from the treasury benches protested over a remark by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the issue of rapes in India.

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(With agency inputs)