Parliament Winter Session Live Updates: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day post ruckus over Adani issue

The House will resume at 11am on Thursday.

Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Wednesday after opposition members demanded a discussion on several issues, including bribery charges against the Adani Group. The proceedings were briefly halted during the morning session due to protests, and when the House reconvened at 11.30am, similar disruptions occurred.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the session, stating that the "House is not in order." The protests stemmed from Dhankhar's rejection of 18 notices seeking the suspension of scheduled business to discuss issues such as the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate alleged corruption and financial irregularities involving the Adani Group, violence in Sambhal, and rising crime in Delhi.

The House will meet at 11am on Thursday.

Shortly after the commencement of the two Houses, Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12pm and Rajya Sabha till 11.30am following a ruckus on Adani issue.

"You think Adani is going to accept the charges? Obviously he is going to deny the charges. The point is that he has to be arrested as we have said. Hundreds of people are being arrested on tiny charges and the gentleman (Gautam Adani) has been indicted in the United States for thousands of crores, he should be in jail and the Govt is protecting him," Rahul said.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions begin.

Congress MP Hibi Eden filed an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, calling for a discussion on the worsening situation in Manipur. In his notice, Eden urged the government to take responsibility and implement immediate actions to restore peace and justice in the region.

"I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house to discuss a definite matter of urgent importance. The continuing violence in Manipur reflects a grave crisis of law and order, coupled with allegations of administrative failure," Hibi Eden said in the notice.

"If we are not allowed to speak on this issue, then what does it mean? Country is being looted. America, France, Kenya and others are taking action against this industrialist (Gautam Adani) and he has been given a free hand in the country," he said.

DMK leader T R Baalu urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to include a discussion on President Droupadi Murmu's address in the House's Winter Session agenda. In a letter to Birla, Baalu, the DMK parliamentary party leader, pointed out that many scholars and the public had noted the absence of key constitutional terms, such as 'socialistic' and 'secular', from the President's address.

He suggested that the address, likely drafted and approved by the government, overlooked these important features. The President had delivered the address earlier that day during a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to mark 'Samvidhan Divas'.

"The address delivered by the president is a unique and significant event intended to spread the constitutional values to all the citizens of the nation, so as every countrymen could understand the contents of the speech of the president," Baalu said.

Congress announced on Tuesday plans to stage protests inside and outside Parliament, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, demanding Central assistance for the landslide survivors in Wayanad. Party leader and Kalpetta MLA T Siddique criticized the Centre's alleged refusal to provide financial aid, calling it an "inhuman" response.

He noted that both chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and he, as the local MLA, had submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Modi requesting support for relief and rehabilitation following the tragedy. Despite the Prime Minister’s promise of full assistance, Siddique claimed that not even a fraction of the promised help had been delivered by the Union government.

Opposition leaders on Tuesday called for a debate on the Constitution in both Houses of Parliament, citing recent developments in the country as the reason for the need. Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge mentioned that he, along with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, had written to the respective Chairs of both Houses, requesting a two-day discussion on the Constitution.

"Time should be allotted for that so that the good things about the Constitution can be discussed, and the wrong things that are happening today can also be discussed. Rahul Gandhi ji and I have written letters, we are waiting for the government's response," Kharge told PTI.

He has demanded discussion on the issue of indictment of Gautam Adani by the US.

"The silence of the Modi government on this matter raises concerns about India's integrity and global standing. PM Modi must answer questions regarding his friendship with Adani. Furthermore, the Andhra Pradesh government is reportedly considering scrapping its solar power deal with SECI, alleging that Adani paid Rs 1,750 crore in bribes to the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. I demand an immediate discussion and a CBI inquiry into these allegations," the notice said.

The winter session of Parliament began on Monday but both houses were adjourned early after the opposition called for discussions on various issues. Prior to the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his customary address, sharply criticizing the opposition for attempting to control Parliament through disruptive tactics. He accused opposition parties of resorting to "hooliganism" for political gain, despite being repeatedly rejected by the public.

Modi said that the opposition's main objective seemed to be obstructing Parliament’s functioning rather than contributing to its progress.

“Unfortunately, some people, who have been rejected by the public, are constantly trying to control the Parliament for their own political interests through the hooliganism of the people. The public counts all their activities and punishes them when the time comes,” he had said.

Rajya Sabha opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to lead the opposition's strategy in the parliamentary session. The Congress party is likely to raise concerns over the situation in Manipur and allegations related to the AdGroup.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, speaking after the all-party meeting in Delhi on Sunday, emphasized the government's readiness to discuss any issue and urged for a smooth and cooperative session, noting that numerous topics have been proposed for discussion during the Winter Session.

"A total of 42 leaders from 30 political parties were present in the meeting. There are many topics. Everyone has asked for discussion on some topics but we want that there should be a good discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The government is ready to discuss any topic. Our only request is that the House should run well and there should be no ruckus. Every member wants to participate in the discussion but the House should run well. To run the winter session well, everyone's cooperation is needed and everyone's participation is necessary," Rijiju had said.

The Winter Session of Parliament began on Monday and will run until December 20, with several bills slated for discussion. Key among them is the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which will be considered once the joint committee of both Houses submits its report to the Lok Sabha by the end of the first week. Additionally, the session will focus on the Merchant Shipping Bill, aimed at ensuring India complies with international maritime treaties, as well as the Coastal Shipping Bill and the Indian Ports Bill. Other bills on the agenda include the Boilers Bill, the Rashtriya Sahkari Vishwavidyalaya Bill, and the Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill.

The legislative agenda for the Winter Session includes a range of bills for introduction and consideration, such as the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, and the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Goa's Assembly Constituencies Bill. Also on the list are the Bills of Lading Bill, the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, the Railways (Amendment) Bill, the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, and the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill.