Opposition MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, on what was to be the first proper working day of the Parliament’s Winter Session, which began on November 25.
On Monday, the sixth day of the session, the government and opposition had reached an agreement to break the deadlock between the two sides, and hold a debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha (December 13 and 14) and Rajya Sabha (December 16 and 17).
The meeting to end the impasse was held to ensure a smooth functioning of the Parliament from the next day.
The opposition wants discussion on issues such as the Adani indictment in the US, Sambhal violence, Manipur situation etc. On the other hand, the government has repeatedly said it is ready to hold a discussion on any issue.
Meanwhile, the Congress, the largest opposition party and the leader of the INDIA bloc, led a joint opposition protest on Tuesday morning. However, fellow INDIA constituents Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC), the third and fourth-largest parties in the Lok Sabha, respectively, skipped the protest, NDTV reported.
The TMC has repeatedly said it wants to focus on “people’s issues” and does not want the focus to be on just “one issue,” a reference to the Adani case.
However, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the protest is a “clear singal” to the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance that “many of their policies have found very strong opposition throughout the country.”