Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid uproar by Opposition; 6 TMC MPs suspended for the day

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Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on August 4 suspended six Trinamool Congress members of parliament (MPs) for the day as they along with other Opposition leaders disrupted the proceedings of the House.

Naidu adjourned the House till 2 pm soon after making the suspension announcement amid uproar by Opposition members over the Pegasus Project report.

The Opposition MPs who rushed into the well of the House with placards in Rajya Sabha will remain suspended for the day, Naidu said.  The protesting MPs were demanding immediate discussion on the Pegasus Project report.

“Whoever is in the well and raising placards are requested to leave the house,” Naidu said.

READ: Monsoon Session: Rahul Gandhi leads Opposition’s cycle march to Parliament

Naidu first requested the protesting MPs to return to their seats and threatened to invoke rule 255 against those holding placards in the well. As the members continued the protest, he ordered them to leave the house.

Among the  TMC members of parliament holding placards were Dola Sen, Arpita Ghosh, Nadeem-ul-Haq,  Mausam Noor, Shanta Chhetri and Abir Ranjan Biswas according to news reports. The Chairman did not name any member, though, and asked Rajya Sabha Secretariat to provide the names.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned till 2 PM as the protests continued in the house in the third week of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

Ever since Monsoon Session started on July 19, the business of both the Houses of the Parliament has been majorly disrupted due to the continuous ruckus by the Opposition over issues including Pegasus spyware, farm reforms laws, COVID-19, and price rise.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any significant business, except the passage of some bills due to the continued protests.

The Opposition has been demanding a discussion and an independent inquiry led by a Supreme Court judge - serving or retired - into reports that Israeli spyware was used to hack phones of opposition leaders, judges, activists, journalists, and ministers.

Also, read: Counter Congress' lies with truth, PM Modi tells BJP MPs as Opposition disrupts proceedings over 'Pegasus'

The government has dismissed the demand, saying a statement by Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in Rajya Sabha was sufficient. The BJP has termed the Pegasus snooping allegations a "non-issue".

On August 3, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led a meeting of opposition leaders - the second in a week- over breakfast. Later Gandhi led the Opposition leaders in a cycle march, a symbolic protest against rise in fuel prices.