Ruckus in Parliament, war of words between Speaker and Opposition Leader in Kerala Assembly

NEW DELHI: Both houses of Parliament witnessed an uproar after opposition members protested against the omission of their dissenting notes from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf Board Amendment Bill. Opposition members stormed into the well of the house, forcing the Lok Sabha to be adjourned until noon and the Rajya Sabha for 20 minutes. Following the protests, the central government agreed to include the dissenting opinions, which will be incorporated when the bill is tabled in the second session of the Budget Session on March 10.

JPC member Medha Vishram Kulkarni presented the report in the Rajya Sabha, while committee chairman Jagdambika Pal tabled it in the Lok Sabha. Opposition members, including Haris Beeran (Muslim League), Nasir Hussain, Jebi Mather (Congress), Nadimul Haque, Samirul Islam (TMC), and Mohammed Abdulla (DMK), protested in the well of the Rajya Sabha.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge demanded Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to send back the report. Despite a brief adjournment, opposition protests continued when the session resumed. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju clarified that the dissenting opinions had been included as annexures, but the opposition staged a walkout.

Opposition stages walkout in Lok Sabha
After the Lok Sabha resumed at 2 PM following an earlier adjournment, opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, and Samajwadi Party, continued their protests. Home Minister Amit Shah assured that there was no objection to including the opposition’s views in the report. Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the issues raised by the opposition were already included in the annexures. Despite this, the opposition walked out in protest.

Speaker vs. Opposition Leader clash in Kerala Assembly
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer asked Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan to shorten his walkout speech, leading to a heated exchange. Satheesan countered that it was his right, not the Speaker’s generosity, to speak. The argument escalated, with ruling and opposition members facing off in the well of the house. Amid the chaos, legislative proceedings were sped up, and the session was adjourned by noon. The Assembly will reconvene on March 3.

Opposition MLA A.P. Anil Kumar had moved an adjournment motion against the alleged budget cuts in welfare schemes for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Following Minister O.R. Kelu’s response, Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan began his walkout speech. When it crossed nine minutes, the Speaker intervened, asking him to shorten it.

However, Satheesan refused, asking the Speaker not to engage in arguments with him, and continued speaking. When his speech reached 13 minutes, the Speaker interrupted again, stating that Satheesan, who was known for brief speeches, had gone beyond his usual practice. Satheesan responded that he would not accept this and questioned whether the Speaker wanted the Assembly proceedings to continue or not. He also accused the Speaker of obstructing his walkout speech.

Meanwhile, visuals of the opposition protests were intermittently aired on Sabha TV, but the audio was muted.