New Delhi, July 27: Rajya Sabha proceedings were once again adjourned till 5.15 p.m. on Monday amid pandemonium over the paper leak protest issue and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The motion for discussion on the Bill was moved only after multiple earlier adjournments during the day.
When the House reassembled at 3 p.m., Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh urged all members to take their respective seats and maintain order so that the legislative business could proceed. Opposition members, however, continued raising slogans and paid no heed to his repeated requests.
The Deputy Chairman appealed to the members to allow the House to discuss the Bill, but the din persisted without any let-up. In an attempt to move forward, the Deputy Chairman announced that he would call upon members by name to speak on the Bill. Despite this, order could not be restored.
Seeing no progress, he adjourned the House till 5.15 p.m. Earlier, the House was adjourned thrice, first till noon, second time till 2 p.m., and third time for a break of one hour. However, at 3 p.m. when the House reconvened, the Opposition’s uproar erupted again.
The Opposition members stormed to the Well of the House demanding an answer from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the alleged police action on protesters. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, is a proposed legislation that seeks to extend legal protection to India’s national song, Vande Mataram, placing it on equal footing with the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on July 24. Monday’s repeated disruptions marked yet another day of the ongoing Monsoon Session during which continuous protests by Opposition members prevented the smooth conduct of business in the Upper House. The Deputy Chairman’s efforts to facilitate a structured discussion on the Bill remained unsuccessful as sloganeering continued, forcing the latest adjournment.
IANS
