New Delhi, March 13 Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned until noon on Friday amid protests by opposition members over the LPG supply situation and price hike.
Speaker Om Birla warned the opposition members against disrupting the Question Hour and asserted that it is everyone's responsibility to protect the dignity and sanctity of Parliament, both inside and outside the House.
As soon as the House met for the day, the opposition members sought to raise the issue of the LPG supply situation and price hike.
Birla said that the Question Hour is an important time when issues related to the nation and constituencies are raised, and all members should be allowed to raise their questions.
He told protesting members that their behavior does not befit the decorum of the House.
On one hand, opposition members keep complaining that they don't get opportunities to raise their issues, and on the other, they don't allow the Question Hour to function, he noted.
In about three minutes of convening for the day, Birla said that if the opposition does not want the House to function, he was adjourning the proceedings until noon.
Opposition parties are at loggerheads with the government on various issues.
India has temporarily reintroduced kerosene for household use and coal for hotels and restaurants, as the escalating West Asia crisis has disrupted its energy supply lines from Gulf countries.
With the conflict shutting the Strait of Hormuz – the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman through which India gets more than half of its 5.8 million barrels of crude oil, 55 per cent of cooking gas LPG and 30 per cent liquefied natural gas (LNG) – oil companies have prioritized the supply of LPG to household kitchens while cutting back on commercial users like hotels and restaurants.
