Parliament: Opposition Protest Continues in RS; Petrol Prices Hiked Again, @ Rs 8.40/Litre in 2 Weeks

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period on Monday after uproar by Opposition members demanding a discussion on the issue of price rise.

The Zero Hour and the Question Hour were washed out due to the disruptions created by opposition members.

Soon after the House met for Question Hour, opposition members were on their feet demanding a discussion on price rise. They wanted a discussion on the issue, including rising fuel prices, under Rule 267.

Petrol and diesel prices were on Monday hiked again by 40 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in the last two weeks to Rs 8.40 per litre.

Earlier, several members from the Opposition had given adjournment notices which were rejected by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

Opposition members created uproar, forcing the chair to adjourn the House twice.

As the chair made repeated appeals to the protesting members to allow the Question Hour to function, unrelenting opposition members trooped into the well and raised slogans.

Sasmit Patra, who was in the chair, urged the protesting members to go back on their seats and allow the Question Hour to function.

"Please don't come inside the well. Please go back to your seats," he said.

"Please, please...that's not the way...Members, Please go back to your seats. This is not the way. Question Hour is going on," he told the members from the Congress, TMC, Left, AAP, DMK and some other parties who were in the well.

"We want a discussion on price rise," the protesting members demanded.

Soon after the listed papers were laid on the table of the House, Naidu said he had received notice from several members under Rule 267 of proceedings of the House to discuss prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG.

As he did not admit the notices, members belonging to opposition parties started protesting.

To this, Naidu said the issue of price was discussed during the debate on Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill.

"...Rule 267 is not the appropriate rule (for such discussions), so there is no question of accepting (the notices)," he said.

Rule 267 calls for setting aside the business of the day to take up the issue listed.

embers who had given notice for suspension of the business under Rule 267 were Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Binoy Viswam (CPI), Abir Ranjan Biswas (TMC), and K C Venugopal (Cong).

The Chairman also informed that Deepender S Hooda (Cong) too had given a notice to discuss the resolution passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha regarding transfer of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. This notice too was not admitted by the Chair.

Earlier, six newly elected Rajya Sabha MPs, including two from the BJP and one from the Congress, took oath in the House on Monday.

Pabitra Margherita (BJP, Assam); Rwngwra Narzary (UPPL, Assam); Jebi Mather Hisham (Congress, Kerala); Sandosh Kumar (CPI, Kerala); A A Rahim (CPI-M, Kerala); and S Phangnon Konyak (BJP, Nagaland) were the members who took oath in the Upper House of Parliament.

Fuel Prices Hiked Again

Petrol and diesel prices were on Monday hiked by 40 paise a litre each, taking the total increase in rates in the last two weeks to Rs 8.40 per litre.

Petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 103.81 per litre  against Rs 103.41 previously, while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 94.67 per litre to Rs 95.07, according to a price notification of state fuel retailers.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state, depending upon the incidence of local taxation.

This is the 12th increase in prices since the ending of a four-and-half-month long hiatus in rate revision on March 22.