The Rajya Sabha on Friday was suspended after the Congress gave an adjournment motion notice protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh spoke to Pakistani officials about the Gujarat elections. The Upper House will convene again on December 27.

“Parliament is in session… these days, it is on and off,” said Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, according to PTI. “It is not a good thing for the country.” On Wednesday and Thursday too, Naidu had admonished Congress MPs for disrupting proceedings as they demanded an apology from Modi. Naidu had also said nobody would apologise for Modi’s remarks in Parliament since they were made outside of the House and were not connected with the proceedings.

Advertisement

The Rajya Sabha has had only 14 scheduled sittings since December 15 when the Winter Session began, reported The Indian Express. The Upper House was supposed to debate and pass The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, The State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill and The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Bill on Friday.

On Thursday, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar could not make his first address as an MP in the Rajya Sabha as Congress members had continued to shout slogans against Modi and forced another adjournment.

Congress walks out of Lok Sabha in protest

Members of the Congress walked out of the Lok Sabha after shouting slogans in the well of the House as part of their protest against Modi’s allegations. This is the fifth day of their protest. The Congress leaders demanded an apology from Modi for his comments against Manmohan Singh. They also demanded an apology from the BJP for claims that the party had made against the Congress in the 2G scam case.