Parliament diary: Deadlock continues on Adani and Sambhal issue, JPC’s tenure extended on Waqf bill

The winter session of Parliament entered its fourth day and proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha resumed on Thursday. However, the conditions remained the same as before. The opposition’s uproar continued. Parliament was adjourned till Friday amid uproar by the opposition. Due to repeated uproar, work could not be completed even on the fourth day. The initial days of Parliament were largely unproductive as both Houses were adjourned due to opposition uproar. At the same time, there is news that Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar can give a statement tomorrow in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the situation in Bangladesh.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was elected Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Wayanad, took the oath of membership of the lower house on Thursday. After the oath, she said that raising important issues of the people, working for the country and the party will be her priority and she will fight for the principles of the Constitution. Priyanka took oath in Hindi and during this she held a copy of the Constitution in her hand. Congress leader Ravindra Basantrao Chavan, who was elected Lok Sabha member from Nanded, Maharashtra, also took the oath of membership of the House.

On Thursday, members of the opposition parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) created a ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the issue related to Adani Group and the issue of violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, due to which the House met on Friday morning after a one-time adjournment. Adjourned till 11 o’clock. Amid sloganeering by opposition members, the House approved extension of time for presenting the report of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill till the last day of the Budget Session, 2025. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju targeted Congress and its allies over the uproar in the House. He said that in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, everyone together had decided which bill would come and when it would come…there are separate rules for discussion on the remaining issues.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday after a single adjournment due to uproar by Congress and other opposition parties demanding immediate discussion on the allegations against Adani Group. As soon as the House proceedings began in the morning, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar got the necessary documents placed on the table of the House and then told that he had received a total of 16 notices under Rule 267 for discussion on the Adani issue, the situation in Manipur and the Sambhal violence. He rejected all the notices.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said parliamentary obstruction is not a solution but a disease which weakens the foundation of the country and leads Parliament towards irrelevance. Dhankhar made this comment when the Rajya Sabha proceedings resumed at 12 noon after a one-time adjournment.