The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice on Tuesday after Opposition members staged a strong protest over regular hike in fuel prices and other issues.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and DMK’s T.R. Baalu demanded a discussion on the hike in fuel prices as soon as the House assembled at 11 a.m., arguing that fuel prices were raised 13 times in the last two weeks.
As Speaker Om Birla continued with the Question Hour, members of the Congress, the DMK, the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi government. Members of the NCP and the Shiv Sena too joined in the protests.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) members also went into in the well of the House, raising placards and shouting slogans over the issue of paddy procurement in Telangana.
As protests continued, the Chair adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon. When the House reassembled, similar scenes were witnessed as Opposition members continued to raise slogans from the well of the House.
After tabling of important papers and the introduction of a bill by Minister for External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, took up the Zero Hour.
With Opposition members unrelenting, Mr. Agarwal then adjourned the House until the post lunch session.
On Tuesday, petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in the last two weeks to ₹9.20 per litre.
