Opposition uproar forces adjournment of both Houses till March 9

IT News/Agency
New Delhi, February 13:
Proceedings of both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till March 9 as sustained protests by Opposition members disrupted business on the concluding day of the first phase of the Budget Session.
In the Lok Sabha, Opposition MPs raised slogans and staged demonstrations in the Parliament complex demanding the resignation of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over alleged disclosures of emails linking him to Jeffrey Epstein. Amid the uproar, the Lower House was first adjourned till noon and later for the day, bringing the first phase of the session to a close.
The Opposition maintained that Hardeep Singh Puri should step down pending a detailed clarification on the matter. Responding to the controversy earlier this week, the minister rejected allegations levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, stating that he had met Jeffrey Epstein on a few occasions but asserting that those interactions had no connection to the crimes for which the American financier was convicted.
Tensions also flared after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey moved a substantive motion against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, drawing a sharp reaction from the Congress benches.
During the day’s proceedings, the House observed a minute of silence in memory of former Haridwar MP Bhagwandas Rathore, who passed away recently.
Speaking to reporters after a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting, MP Hibi Eden said the party would continue to raise issues concerning farmers and India’s trade negotiations, including the proposed India–US trade deal, and would not be deterred by the developments in Parliament.
In the Rajya Sabha, proceedings were adjourned on Friday till March 9 as Parliament entered a three-week recess to enable departmental standing committees to examine Budget allocations to various central ministries. The Upper House met for Zero Hour at 11 am and was adjourned at 1 pm after completing the scheduled Question Hour.
The first part of the Budget Session commenced on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of both Houses. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented the Union Budget for the financial year 2026–27 in Parliament on February 1.