Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Friday till July 28 amid continued protests by opposition MPs demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar. The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice – first at 11 a.m. and then for the day at 2 p.m. following relentless sloganeering in the well of the House. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned at 2 p.m. and will now reconvene on Monday.
Lok Sabha Chairperson Jagdambika Pal, presiding in the absence of Speaker Om Birla, appealed to opposition members to maintain decorum and allow the introduction of private members’ bills. He highlighted that over 200 MPs were scheduled to present their proposals, calling Friday an important day for legislative discussion. However, protests continued, leading to a complete halt in proceedings.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Om Birla convened an all-party meeting to resolve the stalemate and emphasized the need for cooperation to allow the House to function. He also urged MPs to let the scheduled 16-hour debate on “Operation Sindoor” take place on July 28.
In the Rajya Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s remarks were interrupted by opposition MPs demanding a discussion under Rule 267 on the Bihar SIR. Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh rejected the notices, calling out members for breaches of decorum.
Meanwhile, actor-politician Kamal Haasan took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP in Tamil, along with other newly elected members from the DMK.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, staged protests outside the Parliament.
Parliament has seen repeated disruptions since the Monsoon Session began on July 21, with little legislative business conducted so far.