Both houses of the Parliament adjourned amid opposition uproar; Dhankhar convenes floor leaders' meeting

New Delhi: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were repeatedly adjourned on Thursday as DMK members entered both Houses wearing T-shirts with slogans on the issue of delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies.  

In Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla objected to the attire, stating that such actions violated parliamentary rules. "House functions with rules and procedures. Members have to maintain the dignity and honour of the House. But some MPs are not following the rules and violating the dignity, which is not acceptable," Birla said when the session began at 11 am. He directed the members to leave and return in proper attire, stressing that "however big a leader is, such undignified attire is not acceptable inside the House." The proceedings were then adjourned until noon.  

When the House reconvened, similar disruptions occurred, prompting TDP member Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the chair, to adjourn the session again until 2 pm. Tenneti reiterated that such behaviour was against parliamentary rules. DMK members had been demanding a discussion on delimitation, but the Speaker had rejected their pleas, stating that the issue was not on the government's agenda as the population census had not yet been conducted.  

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha also witnessed multiple adjournments over the same issue. Shortly after the session began, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned proceedings for an hour and called a meeting of floor leaders to discuss the matter. However, the deadlock persisted, and Deputy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the House again at noon for 15 minutes, and then once more until 2 pm.  

While Dhankhar did not explicitly state the reason for the adjournment, sources indicated that the issue of DMK members' T-shirts had been raised. He held discussions with party leaders, many of whom supported the smooth functioning of the House. Dhankhar had earlier announced his intention to meet with political leaders to address the disruptions. "I will be calling a meeting of floor leaders in my chambers at 11.30 am today. I would share with the members what I have seen in the House a while ago," he said after listed papers were laid in Rajya Sabha.  

Both Houses remained in a state of disruption, with the issue of DMK members' attire continuing to stall parliamentary proceedings.