‘Tiranga’ march, boycotting Speaker’s evening tea: Lok Sabha adjourned sine die, but Congress-led Oppn parties continue protest

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, too, was seen holding the national flag at the Parliament’s gate number 1 where all opposition MPs gathered before starting the march.

Opposition leaders have also boycotted the customary ‘Evening Tea’ hosted by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned, sources confirmed to The Indian Express.

Addressing a press conference after the ‘Tiranga March’, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP government of being responsible for the washout in Parliament. “Rs 50 lakh crore budget was passed in 12 minutes without any discussion,” he said.

“This is the first time I am seeing in my entire career that the ruling party itself creates a disturbance”, Kharge said.

“The Modi government talks a lot about democracy, but does not walk the talk,” Kharge added. The Rajya Sabha MP also questioned as to why the BJP-led government was hesitant in forming a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

Soon after the House met for the day, Opposition members came to the well raising slogans and carrying placards with their demands written on them. Om Birla said that the behaviour of opposition members had lowered the dignity of the House and they had “systematically” disrupted proceedings, news agency PTI reported.

“Dignity of the House has to be maintained… The House is for debate and discussions. I always give you enough opportunities to speak,” he said.

After completing his customary valedictory speech, Birla announced the adjournment of the House sine die. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, were present in the House. The Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, has been adjourned till 2 pm.

Meanwhile, the BJP continued its attack on the Congress for creating a ruckus in the House. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “The country is seeing what Congress is doing. Congress neither believes in the Constitution of India nor respects the law,” news agency ANI reported.

Lok Sabha proceedings have been disrupted since the Budget session began on March 13 due to protests by Opposition and treasury benches. While the Opposition demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue, the BJP is continuing its demand for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his democracy is under attack remarks made in London.