Rajya Sabha chairman adjourns House even before protests begin

With protests over the suspension of 12 members and the demand to sack Union MoS for home Ajay Mishra Teni becoming a daily fixture in the Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House even before the opposition could raise slogans or troop into the Well on Friday. He again appealed to the government and the opposition to find a way to end the impasse.

Rajya Sabha functioned smoothly till the laying of important papers and reports of various panels on Friday morning. Naidu began the day by appreciating the inscription of 'Durga Puja in Kolkata' into a representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the UNESCO.

Aware that once the formalities of laying papers is done, the opposition will begin the protest, Naidu said he had held discussions with the leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, and some senior members of the opposition over the suspension before the proceedings began.


"I would like to appeal to each one of you to please arrive at some consensus to see to it that the House functions normally," Naidu said, adding that he is adjourning the House to facilitate this discussion between the two sides.

Some opposition members had given notice under Rule 267 to suspend Zero Hour and discuss the demand for Teni's resignation. The opposition has made it clear that the 12 members will not apologise.

Meanwhile, the government has listed the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 202,1 and The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for discussion and passage next week.