Parliament Monsoon Session: RS adjourned till 12 noon

Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to have a discussion in the House on 'Pegasus Project' media report, in the presence of the Prime Minister or Home Minister.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Government is responsible if the House isn't functioning. The government doesn't want itself to get exposed. They'll face challenges if there's a discussion on 'Pegasus', they'll lose their dignity. They say they're ready for discussion but they don't want it."

"They want Parliament to go on just like this, that their Bills get passed just like that and issues like inflation, COVID, fuel prices hike, Rafale get hidden," he added.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP Elamaram Kareem also gave suspension of business notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss the 'Pegasus Project' issue.

The Opposition has alleged that names of several Indian politicians, journalists, lawyers, and activists have appeared on the leaked list of potential targets for surveillance by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware. This comes following reports published in The Wire.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Monday gave a 'suspension of business' notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to have a discussion on farmers' agitation.

Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha Floor leaders of like-minded Opposition parties were scheduled to meet on Monday at 10.15 am at senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge's office to plan a strategy for the day's proceedings of the House.

Amidst the uproar created by Opposition parties in the Parliament on Friday, the Lower House of the Parliament was adjourned till 11 AM on August 2. Proceedings of Rajya Sabha were also adjourned for the day amid continued opposition protest over Pegasus snooping and other issues on Friday. The proceedings of Rajya Sabha would now begin at 11 am today. The Upper House was adjourned twice on Friday - first till 12 noon and then again till 2:30 pm.

The business of both the Houses of the Parliament remained majorly disrupted due to the continuous ruckus created by the Opposition over the issues including farmers' protest, Pegasus spyware, COVID-19 and inflation.

The Monsoon Session commenced on July 19 and is scheduled to continue till August 13. (ANI)