LS Proceedings Adjourned Till 2 PM, Telecommunications Bill Introduced

New Delhi, December 18 (PTI) Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM on Monday due to protests by opposition members who were demanding a statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue of breach of Parliament security.

This is the second adjournment of the day as opposition members continued with their sloganeering and showing placards.

As the House reassembled at 12 noon, Rajendra Agrawal, who was chairing the proceedings of the House, took up papers to be laid on the table.

Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw introduced the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, amid the din.

Agrawal asked opposition members to go back to their seats and not show placards to the chair.

"Do not force the chair to take action against you," Agrawal told protesting members before adjourning the House till 2 PM.

When the Lok Sabha met in the morning, members paid tributes to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who passed away on Saturday.

Speaker Om Birla told the House about the steps taken by the Lok Sabha secretariat following the security breach incident on December 13 and sought cooperation from all members to run the House smoothly.

However, the opposition members were on their feet, demanding a statement from Shah and his resignation.

Some opposition MPs were also carrying placards with their demands written on them.

Birla objected to the placards being brought into the House, saying it lowers the dignity of the House.

Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi also appealed to the opposition members "with folded hands" not to wave the placards, saying it was agreed at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee not to carry placards.

The opposition MPs ignored the appeal of Birla as well as Joshi and continued their protests along with sloganeering, leading to the speaker announcing the adjustment of the House till 12 noon.

In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack last Wednesday, two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released coloured smoke and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.

Two others, including a woman, were detained outside the Parliament complex for staging a protest.