NEW DELHI, Dec 18: After two bills to provide women’s reservation in the legislative assemblies of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir were approved by voice vote in the House amid a furore from the opposition over the security breach in Parliament, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 4 pm on Monday. The Lok Sabha last week passed two bills: the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill. The opposition parties, who have been demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah give a statement regarding the December 13 security breach in the House, have been continuously chanting slogans as the Upper House passed the Bills.Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated that there is “collective concern” regarding the security breach following the Bills’ passage. Such incidents have also happened in the past. Speaker Lok Sabha has already constituted a high-level inquiry committee for an in-depth investigation of the incident and the formulation of a concrete action plan to ensure that such incidents do not occur. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this august institution operates in the safest and most conducive atmosphere. The House will eventually be informed of its findings, the chairman stated.As the commotion persisted, Dhankhar declared that he was in a “helpless situation” and hoped that Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition, would see him in his chamber. The House was then adjourned until 4 pm by the chairman. The Rajya Sabha met again at 2 pm after two adjournments in the morning session when opposition parties led by the Congress brought up the issue of a security breach in Parliament. Nityanand Rai, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, introduced the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, both of which were passed in less than twenty minutes.Rai urged every member to vote “in favour of women’s rights” by supporting the bills. Members expressed their support for the proposed laws during their brief remarks on the Bills. A few participants urged the federal government to schedule elections in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible.
