Parliament's proceedings in the first week of the Monsoon Session were completely washed out, with both Houses adjourning today till Monday without transacting any business as the deadlock between the opposition and the ruling party persisted over issues like the Lalit Modi controversy and the Vyapam scam.
The opposition, led by the Congress, remained unrelenting on its demand for the resignation of Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister for allegedly helping controversial former IPL chief Lalit Modi and of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam admission and recruitment scam.
Countering the opposition charge, the BJP members too raised slogans and got into heated exchanges with Congress MPs inside the House, after holding a protest against the opposition at the Parliament's main gate this morning.
In the Lok Sabha, the opposition's slogan-shouting and counter-sloganeering by the BJP members led to the House being adjourned for the day, minutes after it had assembled at 11 AM. Congress members, waving placards, trooped into the Well just as the Question Hour was taken up.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan angrily said "You don't want to raise issues...You don't want to take part in the proceedings" and adjourned the House for the day within five minutes after it had assembled.
No business has been transacted since the session began on July 21, with both Houses witnessing adjournments after adjournments following sloganeering and verbal exchanges between the ruling and opposition sides.
Even the papers listed for the day in Lok Sabha were not tabled as scheduled at noon every day. Two bills -- the Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, were also listed today for consideration and passage.
In the Rajya Sabha, heated exchanges between treasury benches and the Congress forced its adjournment twice, before it was adjourned for the day.
Congress and BJP members clashed after Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad blamed the ruling party of being a "stumbling block" in the functioning of Parliament.
