Thu Dec 05 16:28:58 UTC 2024: **Lok Sabha Speaker Urges MPs to End Parliament Gate Protests**
NEW DELHI, December 4, 2024 – Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today appealed to Members of Parliament to cease protesting at the Parliament building entrances, citing disruptions to other MPs, particularly women. His plea follows two days of demonstrations by INDIA bloc MPs protesting bribery allegations against industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court.
The protests, held at the Makar Dwar entrance, prompted the Lok Sabha Secretariat to issue an advisory on Tuesday urging MPs to refrain from such actions due to safety and security concerns. Speaker Birla reiterated this concern, requesting that MPs address issues directly with him instead of blocking entrances. Some opposition MPs countered that the ruling BJP had previously engaged in similar protests.
In a separate announcement, Speaker Birla advised Union Ministers to refrain from directly responding to MPs during Question Hour unless permitted by the Chair. This follows an incident involving Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal.
First Piper 