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Parliament adjourned on first day of Monsoon Session over Agnipath, inflation and GST

Both the Houses of Parliament witnessed adjournment on first day of the Monsoon Session as Opposition protested price-rise, the Agnipath scheme and the imposition of Goods and Services Tax on items such as packaged milk and rice.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned within an hour after it assembled at 11 a.m. Monday. The disruption in Rajya Sabha came a day after Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu sought the co-operation of the floor leaders for a productive session as his farewell gift. Naidu, who is presiding over the last session of his tenure that will come to an end on August 10, said that 57% proceedings were either fully or partly disrupted during this period.

He urged the members to rise to address the demands of the next 25 years of ‘Amrit Kaal’ by the end of which the country’s population is set to increase by another 20 crores.

Several Opposition members had given an adjournment notice in the Upper House to discuss inflation and Agnipath scheme. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come to the House and answer their concerns against growing autocracy. As many as 28 new members were sworn in to the Upper House.
Opposition members stage a protest in the well of the Lok Sabha during Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on July 18, 2022.

Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after it witnessed a disruption because of Opposition protests over the issue of price rise and Agnipath scheme. Opposition members trooped to the well of the House as Lok Sabha convened for the afternoon session at 2 p.m.

BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, allowed laying of parliamentary papers on the table of the House during which Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced a bill to amend the law pertaining to Family Courts. As Opposition members started raising slogans, Agarwal adjourned the proceedings for the day.

The day started with obituary references and new members taking oath. Among those who took oath included Bollywood actor and Trinamool Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha (West Bengal) and BJP members from Uttar Pradesh, Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua and Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi.

Before this, Speaker Om Birla read out obituary references, including that of three foreign leaders — former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, United Arab Emirates president and Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Kenya’s third president Mwai Kibaki.

Some Opposition members tried to raise some issues but Birla did not allow them to do so, indicating he would like to say something. He then talked about the Presidential elections and said elections in India are celebrated as a festival. Members should participate in the festival, the speaker said, and declared the House adjourned till 2 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader of the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were among those present in the House.