Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon amid noisy protests by Opposition

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Monday following vociferous protests by opposition parties demanding a discussion on the voter roll revision in Bihar and other issues.

When the House met at 11 am, opposition MPs, including those from the Congress, were on their feet, raising slogans and showing placards with their demand for discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar.

Initially, Speaker Om Birla tried to continue the business of the House -- Question Hour -- by allowing members to ask six questions related to several union ministries and departments amidst the din.

After about 15 minutes of proceedings, the Speaker asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and warned that if they try to damage government properties, he would be forced to take strong action against them.

"No one has the right to damage government properties. If you try to do so, I will be forced to take action," he said, adding there were instances in some assemblies where action had been taken against members for damaging government properties.

It was not immediately clear as to what the speaker was alluding to.

Birla also said that the kind of force the opposition members were using in sloganeering, it would have been good had they used similar kind of force in raising people's welfare issues.

As the opposition MPs ignored his pleas, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

The opposition has been demanding a discussion on the SIR exercise initiated by the Election Commission in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections there.

Barring discussions on Operation Sindoor in both House, Parliament has seen little business ever since the Monsoon session began on July 21 due to repeated adjournments initially due to opposition demand for discussion on Operation Sindoor and then demanding a discussion on SIR. PTI ACB DV DV