Rajya Sabha adjourned till noon as opposition protest fuel price hike

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for a little less than an hour on Tuesday as opposition parties, including the Congress and TMC, voiced their protest against the hike in petrol, diesel, and cooking gas LPG prices.

While TMC members stormed into the well of the House carrying placards on the issue, Congress, Left, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena MPs were up on their feet, some shouting slogans.

This after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he has not accepted notices given by Shaktisinh Gohil (Congress), Dola Sen (TMC), V Sivadasan, Elamaram Kareem, and John Brittas (CPM) under rule 267, requiring setting aside of the listed agenda to take up a discussion.

Naidu said the issue can be discussed during demands for grants of concerned ministries.

Petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a liter each while domestic cooking gas LPG rates were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder as state oil firms ended an over four and half month election-related hiatus in rate revision, fanning inflation fears.

As opposition MPs tried to raise the issue, Naidu rejected their call and called for the listed zero-hour mentions.

”This is not the way,” he said as opposition MPs stood up in their places shouting slogans.

He ordered that nothing that protesting MPs said would go on the record.

When TMC MPs rushed to the well of the House, Naidu said this will lead to the foregoing of zero-hour submissions of 19 members.

But an unrelenting opposition continued to shout slogans.

”Names of the people, whoever is carrying placards, their names are to be noted and put in bulletin,” he said before adjourning the proceedings till 12 noon.