Delimitation protests rock Parl, both Houses adjourned

The issue of delimitation rocked Parliament on Thursday following protests by DMK lawmakers who wore T-shirts with slogans opposing the impending exercise to redraw electoral constituencies, prompting multiple adjournments and drawing strong objection from both Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran, Saubhadra Chatterji

NEW DELHI:

The DMK also staged a protest outside Parliament, alleging that the delimitation exercise would result in reduction of Lok Sabha seats in the southern states, if carried out on basis of population.

In the Rajya Sabha, soon after the proceedings began in the morning, Dhankhar called the floor leaders to meet him in his chambers to discuss what he had "seen in the House". Although he did not specify the issue, it was learnt that he was referring to the DMK MPs wearing T-shirts with slogans inside the House.

During the meeting, the chairman is learnt to have told the lawmakers that although there are no specific rules about what MPs can wear to the House, there are various rulings since the 1980s where it was conveyed that MPs need to maintain decorum in the House.