Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted for the third consecutive day on Thursday as protests by Opposition members demanding a separate discussion on the three contentious farm laws created uproar, leading to repeated adjournments of the House. As soon as the House assembled at 4 PM, members of the Opposition started shouting slogans against the government and the three agri laws. Few questions related to the ministry of roads and highways were replied by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. But as sloganeering continued, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked members to return to their seats. “Question Hour is the right of MPs…This behaviour is not good and I again request you all to return to your seats so that the House proceedings run properly,” he said.
The Opposition parties on Thursday slammed the government for its handling of the ongoing farmer protests. They accused the government of digging trenches and putting up spikes, where bridges should have been built to win over farmers. “Government has failed India at many levels, it failed to uphold Parliament's sanctity because of its arrogance. Imagine the response if a Delhi-like situation had happened in West Bengal,” TMC leader Derek O'Brien said. Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on President's Address, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, also slammed the government for its reaction on the issue. “Our democracy is strong, it will not be weakened by anyone's tweet, he said, addressing the government's response to tweets by Rihanna and Greta Thunberg on farmers' protests.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy introduced a Bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 in the Upper House. In Lok Sabha, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will introduce The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
