NEW DELHI: On Thursday, March 23, the Lok Sabha was adjourned until 6 p.m. following protests from members of the treasury benches and the opposition parties
After putting the guillotine on requests for grants from five key ministries, railroads, rural development and panchayati raj, tribal affairs, tourism and culture, and health and family welfare, the government plans to begin discussion, voting, and passage of the union budget at 6 o'clock.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the head of the party in the House, and other Congress members immediately inquired as to whether Rahul Gandhi will be permitted to address the House when the papers were presented in the chamber.
When Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, did not respond, members of the Congress and DMK rushed into the Well, yelling demands for a JPC investigation into the Adani situation.
Members of the Treasury benches also stood up and began yelling anti-Rahul Gandhi chants in an effort to get him to retract his remarks on democracy.
Agrawal adjourned the House while announcing that the discussion and vote on the union budget will begin at 6 o'clock.
During his interactions in London, Gandhi had alleged that there is a "full-scale assault" on the institutions of India and that the democratic structures of that nation are being targeted.
The BJP accused him of defaming India on foreign territory and calling for foreign interventions in response to his comments, while the Congress shot back at the ruling party by noting instances in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had brought up domestic issues abroad.
Gandhi was also asked to apologise by the ruling coalition, but the Congress insisted that he be given the opportunity to explain himself in the House first.
On the day of their martyrdom, the House earlier paid homage to the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru.
Everyone has the right to be heard: Rahul Gandhi
