The Opposition's protest over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls disrupted the first half of the Lok Sabha on the opening day of the winter session on Monday, forcing two adjournments even as the government introduced three bills.
The opposition MPs also criticised the Prime Minister's "drama" remark and accused the Centre of avoiding a debate on key issues, including the SIR.
As the House began Question Hour, Opposition MPs who had sought an adjournment to discuss the SIR started protesting. After making obituary references and congratulating the Indian women's cricket team, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till noon when his appeal failed to calm the protests.
When the House reassembled, the protests resumed even as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced 3 bills amid the din, after which the Chair adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Outside, opposition MPs hit out at the PM for his "drama" remark and for not allowing a discussion on the goods and services tax.
Congress leader KC Venugopal told the media that the BJP had set the precedent for sloganeering with chants of "Modi-Modi," saying such scenes were never witnessed under former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri or Indira Gandhi, and insisting that the SIR was serious enough to have "collapsed" the election system.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the election situation, SIR and pollution are issues that deserve to be debated and that "demanding debates is not drama".
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Akhilesh Yadav said: "The ongoing SIR is not for strengthening democracy but cutting votes. On the ground, the BLOs are not even able to fill out forms...Why this hurry, when there is no election in UP immediately?"
The opposition MPs also criticised the Prime Minister's "drama" remark and accused the Centre of avoiding a debate on key issues, including the SIR.
As the House began Question Hour, Opposition MPs who had sought an adjournment to discuss the SIR started protesting. After making obituary references and congratulating the Indian women's cricket team, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till noon when his appeal failed to calm the protests.
When the House reassembled, the protests resumed even as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced 3 bills amid the din, after which the Chair adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Outside, opposition MPs hit out at the PM for his "drama" remark and for not allowing a discussion on the goods and services tax.
Congress leader KC Venugopal told the media that the BJP had set the precedent for sloganeering with chants of "Modi-Modi," saying such scenes were never witnessed under former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri or Indira Gandhi, and insisting that the SIR was serious enough to have "collapsed" the election system.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the election situation, SIR and pollution are issues that deserve to be debated and that "demanding debates is not drama".
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Akhilesh Yadav said: "The ongoing SIR is not for strengthening democracy but cutting votes. On the ground, the BLOs are not even able to fill out forms...Why this hurry, when there is no election in UP immediately?"
