RS adjourned till 2 PM

Rajya Sabha was today adjourned till 2 PM and the Question Hour not taken up to enable the members participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the new President, after half an hour of Zero Hour proceedings.
However before Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the proceedings, Rajeev Shukla (Cong) said it was known that the President will take oath today. "Why were the questions accepted when it was known that the House will be adjourned," he said.
Kurien said Shukla has raised very important point and agreed that today's Question Hour will be lost.
However, he asked "who are responsible for many other days (for disruptions)? He should also explain who is responsible."

Anand Sharma (Cong) said since the swearing-in timing was known, the Question Hour should not have been mentioned in the list of business for the day.
"Because of the swearing-in, we cannot ask questions (that have been given and admitted by the government)," he said.

Earlier, members mourned the passing away of former member Shivajirao Giridhar Patil.
When the House met for the day, Chairman Hamid Ansari mentioned the death of Patil on July 22 at the age of 92.
An agriculturist and businessmen, Patil was jailed during the freedom struggle. He represented Maharashtra in the Upper House from July 1992 to July 1998, he said.

"In the passing away of Shivajirao Giridhar Patil, the country has lost a veteran freedom fighter, a distinguished parliamentarian and an able administrator," Ansari said.
Members stood in silence in their places as a mark of respect to his memory.