Both Houses Adjourned as Opposition Protests Mount, LS Passes Retro Tax Bill Amid Din

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned for the day on Friday, marking the second week of Opposition protests over Pegasus snipping row, farm laws and other issues.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned shortly after noon on Friday after passage of two Bills, including the one which proposes to end a controversial retrospective tax policy, amid Opposition din.

As the House convened for the day at 11 a.m, Speaker Om Birla took up the Question Hour. However, the members resorted to sloganeering over Pegasus snooping controversy and farm laws. 

As the protests continued, the Speaker urged the agitating members to go back to their seats.

The proceedings lasted for around 15 minutes after which Birla adjourned the House till noon.

When the House resumed at noon, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, allowed discussions on 'The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021', which proposed amendments to the Income Tax and Finance Act 2012 to make it clear that no tax demand will be raised for any indirect transfer of Indian assets if the transaction was undertaken prior to May 28, 2012.

After a brief statement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and clause-wise consideration of the Bill, it was passed by voice vote.

Similarly, another Bill 'The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021', to set up a central university in Ladakh was passed by the House following a brief statement by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

After the two Bills were passed, the chair announced the adjournment of the House for the day.

Lok Sabha will now resume on Monday after the weekend break.

The Rajya Sabha, too, was adjourned for the day on Friday after opposition members continued to create uproar over the Pegasus snooping row and farmers' issues.

The upper house witnessed one adjournment a few minutes after it met for the day and was then adjourned for the day a few minutes after it met again at 12 p.m.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress and other members continued to raise slogans in the well soon after it met for Question Hour.

Surendra Singh Nagar, who was in the chair, announced that the meeting of the business advisory committee of Rajya Sabha would be prepped to 12.15 PM on the request of some opposition parties. It was to be held at 1.10 PM earlier.

The chair continued with the Question Hour amid the din but adjourned the House for the day after Opposition members continued to create noisy scenes by raising slogans in the well.

The House will now meet at 11 a.m on Monday, August 9, 2021.

Earlier soon after the House met for the day, it was adjourned within minutes after the laying of papers, as Opposition members stormed the well and started raising slogans against the government. 

Earlier when the House met, Harnath Singh Yadav (BJP) demanded the government restore the medium of education in mother tongue, while Ram Nath Thakur (JDU) urged the government to fill up vacancies of judges in the Supreme Court.

Sasmit Patra (BJD) sought the ratio of Centre-State assistance be changed from 60:40 to 90:10 for development of Odisha keeping in mind the state always gets affected by floods and other natural disasters.

Patra even urged the government to declare Odisha as a 'special focus state of infrastructure development.

The Rajya Sabha has failed to transact any significant business during the past three weeks ever since the start of the Monsoon session on July 19.