Protests by the opposition led to multiple interruptions in parliamentary sessions, centered around the issue of SIR.
Disruptions and Adjournments Dominate Monsoon Session of Indian Parliament
During the Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament in 2022, disruptions and adjournments were a common occurrence in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The sessions were frequently disrupted due to protests from opposition parties, primarily over issues such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The proceedings in the Lok Sabha were disrupted throughout the day on several occasions, leading to adjournments. Speaker Om Birla repeatedly urged protesting members to stop shouting slogans and return to their seats. The adjournment on one occasion was due to repeated protests from Opposition members over the issue of revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Similarly, in the Rajya Sabha, the proceedings were disrupted throughout the day due to protests from Opposition members. The Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, raised concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi not replying to a debate on Operation Sindoor in the House. He also quoted Leader of the House JP Nadda's statement from the morning session, where he said that then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not replied to the debate in the Rajya Sabha after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, and the reply was made by the then home minister in the Upper House.
The Chair, Ghanshyam Tiwari, urged the protesting MPs to maintain decorum in the House and allow the Question Hour. However, persistent disruptions led to adjournments, with the House being adjourned till 12 noon on one occasion. When the House met at 12 noon, Opposition MPs were on their feet raising slogans in support of their demand for a discussion on SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls.
The government's stance was to insist on rule-based discussion and to proceed with legislative items once order was restored. The Chair-led management was used to manage disruptions, with adjournments being a tool to manage disruptions. This was accompanied by political negotiations outside the floor but mainly relied on the Chair's discretion to adjourn when disruptions made House business impossible.
No unique or modified procedures for disruption and adjournment during the Monsoon Session 2022 appear to have been reported beyond this conventional approach applied by Parliament in previous sessions. The process involved the Chair or Speaker requesting order and continuation of proceedings, adjournments when disruptions continued, adjournments usually till the next working day morning, and the government's readiness to discuss any issue according to rules, but with principled limits maintained.
References: [1] The Hindu. (2022, August 9). Monsoon Session: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon amid protests by Opposition parties. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/monsoon-session-rajya-sabha-adjourned-till-12-noon-amid-protests-by-opposition-parties/article65930829.ece
[2] The Indian Express. (2022, August 9). Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon amid protests by Opposition parties. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rajya-sabha-adjourned-till-12-noon-amid-protests-by-opposition-parties-8504247/
[3] News18. (2022, August 9). Rajya Sabha Adjourned Till 12 Noon Amid Protests by Opposition Parties. Retrieved from https://www.news18.com/news/politics/rajya-sabha-adjourned-till-12-noon-amid-protests-by-opposition-parties-861430.html
[4] NDTV. (2022, August 9). Rajya Sabha Adjourned Till 12 Noon Amid Protests by Opposition Parties. Retrieved from https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajya-sabha-adjourned-till-12-noon-amid-protests-by-opposition-parties-3237366
The Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament in 2022 witnessed numerous disruptions and adjournments, often due to political debates on policy-and-legislation matters, such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha frequently deteriorated into heated discussions on various general-news issues, leading to frequent adjournments.
