Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon due to Opposition protests over SIR issue

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday, 19 August, following noisy protests by Opposition parties demanding a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar and other issues.

The House, which convened at 11 am, began with speaker Om Birla announcing that the proceedings of Parliament will now be translated into all 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Earlier, translations were available in 18 languages.

“We should be proud of our Parliament and of Indian democracy. On this happy occasion, I hope members will cooperate to run the House smoothly,” Birla said.

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Soon after his remarks, opposition MPs, including from the Congress, raised slogans and displayed placards pressing for a debate on the SIR exercise. Despite the din, the Speaker allowed three questions during Question Hour, but disruptions persisted.

After about 20 minutes, Birla adjourned the House till noon.

The Opposition has been insisting on a debate on the Election Commission’s SIR exercise in Bihar ahead of Assembly polls. Parliament has seen repeated adjournments since the Monsoon Session began on July 21, first over demands for a discussion on Operation Sindoor and now over the Bihar SIR issue, except for brief discussions on Operation Sindoor in both Houses.

With PTI inputs