Opposition protest against Bihar rolls revision stalls House

NEW DELHI: The continuing opposition stir against SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls forced a whitewash of business in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha again on Thursday, with the Upper House managing only the customary farewell for retiring members.

On the fourth day of Parliament's monsoon session, Congress parliamentary party chairperson and Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi joined the mass of opposition MPs who demonstrated outside Parliament building, raising slogans and holding placards denouncing the EC exercise.

While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day shortly after reassembling for the post-lunch session amid din, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned by Speaker Om Birla after opposition MPs raised slogans and entered the well of the House with placards.

Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal , in the Lower House, questioned the opposition for not allowing discussion on the bill which seeks to provide seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Goa legislative assembly.

Earlier, Birla had asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and assured that as per rules, they will be given opportunities to raise issues. He mentioned the name of Congress' K C Venugopal and said it was not the culture of his party to indulge in sloganeering in the House.