Both houses of Parliament adjourned till Friday over DMK protest against delimitation
New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were disrupted on Thursday after DMK MPs entered the Houses wearing T-shirts with slogans opposing delimitation, and the uproar led to repeated adjournments, ultimately leading to both houses being adjourned until Friday.
In the Rajya Sabha, proceedings were first adjourned until noon by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stated he would consult with floor leaders.
When the House reconvened, it was adjourned again for 15 minutes and later until 2 p.m. Persistent disruptions forced the House to be adjourned for the day without addressing scheduled business, including a debate on the Home Ministry’s functioning.
Home Minister Amit Shah was expected to respond to the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, which had begun on Wednesday evening but remained incomplete.
A similar situation unfolded in the Lok Sabha. Speaker Om Birla expressed strong objections to the display of slogans and adjourned the House multiple times before finally suspending proceedings until Friday. The Chair objected to the DMK MPs T shirts which read – “Delimitation – Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win”.
The DMK MPs said the Central government has failed to explain the issue of delimitation, which might lead to a decline in the representation of the southern states.
Outside the chambers, DMK MPs staged a demonstration in the Parliament premises, holding banners against delimitation. The party has been vocal in its opposition to the process, arguing that it would disproportionately impact southern states.
The disruption also prevented the Rajya Sabha from conducting Zero Hour and Question Hour.
Earlier in the session, the House had discussed the functioning of key ministries, including Railways and Health, but Thursday’s adjournment stalled further deliberations on the Home Ministry’s functioning.
The repeated disruptions in both Houses have stalled legislative proceedings. This is the first time in the current Budget session that the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned without transacting any business.
–IANS
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