Lakhimpur SIT Report Issue Rocks Lok Sabha, House Adjourned for Day

New Delhi:  The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Wednesday amid protests by the Opposition over the issue of the Special Investigation Team's report on the recent violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh.

As soon as the House met, the Opposition members stormed into the Well raising slogans with placards in their hands and demanded sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra.

 The minister's son Ashish Mishra is among the 13 accused in the violence that took place in October wherein at least four farmers and a journalist were killed.

After the laying of papers on the table of the House, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, urged the protesting members to go back to their seats and participate in a discussion on price rise scheduled at that time.

The Chair later adjourned the House for the day as the Opposition refused to relent.

Earlier in the morning, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm amid vociferous Opposition protests over the findings of the SIT report.

On Tuesday, the SIT probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence had told a court that the killing of four farmers and a journalist was a "pre-planned conspiracy". PTI PK

Rajya Sabha Adjourned Again

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned briefly for the third time on Wednesday after Opposition members created an uproar over the suspension of 12 MPs and demanded that they be allowed to participate in the discussions.

Soon after the House met at 2 p.m after lunch, the Opposition members were on their feet raising the demand for revoking the suspensions of the 12 members.

As Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked the members to initiate a discussion on the situation arising out of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Opposition members sought to raise the issue of the suspensions.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise the issue but was not allowed by the chair.

The deputy chairman asked Sushmita Deb of the Trinamool COngress (TMC) to initiate the discussion, but when she too sought to raise the issue of suspensions, he called out the name of another member, Nadeemul Haque, to initiate the important discussion.

Please speak on the subject.... You are not willing to discuss this important issue of Omicron," Singh told Deb.

"But equally important is that our 12 MPs who have been suspended should be allowed to participate in the discussion," Deb said.

The Opposition members then raised objections to the absence of Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the House. The members sitting on the treasury benches said the minister of state for health was present to hear the Opposition leaders.

The chair then adjourned the house for 15 minutes as the Opposition members continued to raise objections.

The House earlier saw two adjournments in the pre-lunch period and the Question Hour and the Zero Hour were disrupted. Some questions were, however, answered by the ministers amid the din.