New Delhi: The Winter Session of Parliament opened on a turbulent note on Monday as the Lok Sabha was forced to adjourn till noon barely minutes after it assembled at 11 a.m., drowned out by unrelenting opposition protests. As soon as the House met, Speaker Om Birla led members in paying rich tributes to five former parliamentarians who passed away recently.
Among them were Col. Sonaram Choudhary, the sitting Congress MP from Barmer in Rajasthan; legendary actor and former BJP MP from Bikaner, Dharmendra; Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra (South Delhi); Prakash Jaiswal; and Ravi Kumar Naik (Panaji, Goa).
Describing Dharmendra as an evergreen icon of Indian cinema who later served the nation in Parliament, the Speaker said the veteran star would always be remembered for generations. The Speaker described Dharmendra as an iconic celluloid figure who brought laurels to the country through his cinematic contributions and later served the people as a parliamentarian.
The House also rose to congratulate Indian sportspersons and teams for their outstanding achievements on the global stage.
Turning to the conduct of the House, Speaker Birla made a strong appeal for decorum. “This is the temple of the world’s largest democracy. It is not meant for placards and banners. You have been elected to raise public issues through discussion, not disruption,” he said, expressing pain that Question Hour — the most vital segment for government accountability — was being deliberately derailed in a “planned manner” session after session.
Despite the plea, opposition members continued shouting slogans and flashing placards, demanding discussion on the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in 12 states and union territories, making it impossible to transact any business.
In the fleeting calm before the storm, as Question Hour began, BJP member Anurag Sharma from Jhansi-Lalitpur managed to raise detailed supplementaries on the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project. He demanded inclusion of additional areas of Lalitpur in the project’s benefits, sought the latest status of the Environmental Impact Assessment report, its findings on biodiversity, forest cover and water resources, and pressed for information on mitigation measures, compensatory afforestation, soil and water conservation, rehabilitation of mined sites, and monitoring mechanisms in Jhansi and Lalitpur districts.
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav responded briefly, advising the member to take up state-specific issues with the Uttar Pradesh government.
With the din only growing louder, Speaker Om Birla warned that he would be constrained to adjourn the House.
When the protests refused to subside, he adjourned proceedings till noon.
The stormy start has once again cast a shadow over the productivity of the crucial Winter Session, which has several important legislative items on its agenda.
(IANS)
