New Delhi, July 28: No substantial business was transacted in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, and the proceedings were adjourned for the day after the opposition continued its uproar over various issues, including the police action on protesters and the Vande Mataram Bill.
When the House reconvened after the first adjournment, Opposition members immediately resumed their protest, demanding a debate on the alleged police excesses during the July 20 student demonstration in Delhi. Jitan Ram Manjhi, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, rose to introduce the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Bill sought to update provisions of the 2006 Act to strengthen support for small businesses. However, even as Manjhi began his introduction, the opposition members erupted in protest, raising slogans against what they described as police “brutality” during the student demonstration linked to the NEET paper leak controversy.
Meanwhile, the members of the opposition kept on creating ruckus and sloganeering. Amid din, the Bill was introduced. The Deputy Chairman Harivansh urged the members to maintain order, but the ruckus continued. Their chants drowned out the minister’s words, and the chamber quickly descended into disorder.
The Deputy Chairman, who was presiding over the session, attempted to restore calm. He reminded members that the House could only function if order was maintained, but the protests showed no sign of abating. With the uproar continuing, Harivansh had little choice but to adjourn the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the day, announcing that it would reconvene at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Earlier during the morning session, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan attempted to restore order, reminding members that matters of public importance could be raised with permission, but the uproar only grew louder. The insistence of the opposition that the Home Minister address the House on the issue left little room for compromise, and the session quickly descended into chaos.
The disruption followed a morning that had seen routine business carried out with relative calm. Papers were laid on the table by Ministers Anupriya Patel, B.L. Verma, Shantanu Thakur and Harsh Malhotra, while Sumitra Balmiki presented reports of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Statements from Ministers of State Pankaj Choudhary and Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya were also delivered, touching on finance and consumer affairs. Yet all of this was overshadowed by the opposition’s determination to bring the police action into the centre of parliamentary debate.
IANS
