'Disappointing conduct...': Speaker warns opposition amid Parliament standoff
What's the story
The Parliament was adjourned early on Tuesday after a fierce face-off between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition MPs.
The row was over allegations connecting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi with media houses and think-tanks funded by businessman George Soros.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions were adjourned for the day amid the ruckus.
Birla's appeal
Speaker Birla urges MPs to maintain House dignity
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged MPs to maintain the dignity of the House, which he said was responsible for fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people.
He was disappointed with the recent conduct and said, "Ours is the largest democracy in the world... We all have to maintain the dignity of the House."
Despite his appeal for decorum, protests continued leading to an adjournment till noon.
Protest criticism
Birla criticizes undignified protests, suggests Zero Hour use
Birla slammed the use of protests, sloganeering, and posters as undignified and against procedural rules.
He urged opposition MPs to use Zero Hour for raising issues instead of disrupting proceedings.
This came after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called a meeting of opposition leaders to ensure smooth functioning of the House.
Opposition meeting
Rajya Sabha Chairman meets with opposition leaders
Dhankhar's meeting was attended by only three opposition leaders- Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Tiruchi Siva, Congress's Jairam Ramesh, and Pramod Tiwari.
They wanted the parliamentary proceedings to continue but insisted to be allowed to speak.
Leader of the House JP Nadda suggested opposition leader Rahul Gandhi should call off protests to allow normal functioning.
Accusations
Congress accuses government of favoring Adani group
The Congress has accused the government of favoring the Adani group and demanded a probe into alleged misconduct by the group investigated by the US Justice Department.
However, there was no discussion about a potential no-confidence motion against the chairman during Dhankhar's morning meeting with opposition leaders, according to sources familiar with the details.