LS Adjourned till 2 p.m. Amid Oppn Protests Over Manipur Issue

NEW DELHI:
The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m. on Tuesday amid protests by the Congress-led Opposition, which sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence and response in the House over the Manipur situation.

Speaker Om Birla urged protesting opposition members, who stood in the well as soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day shouting slogans and displaying placards, to maintain the dignity of the House. He asked them whether they were not interested in running the house or participating in the Question Hour.

The Speaker said India is the largest democracy in the world, and it is not right to protest in such a manner. However as opposition members continued with their protests, Birla adjourned the House till 2 p.m. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was present in the Lok Sabha during the proceedings.

The treasury benches had a thin attendance as the BJP parliamentary party meeting presided by Prime Minister Modi is currently underway. While the Opposition has been seeking Modi’s response in the Lok Sabha over the situation in Manipur, the Centre said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will respond in the House on the matter. Shah had on Monday, urged the protesting Opposition to allow the discussion on Manipur to take place, saying it was an important issue and the nation should get to know the reality of the sensitive situation.