New Delhi, Mar 29 (Agency) Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 amid ruckus by the Opposition over the Adani issue. The Bill which was moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was passed by a show of hands vote without any discussion amid sloganeering by the Opposition members demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue. As soon as the Presiding Officer Rama Devi resumed the proceedings of the House, members from the Opposition benches trooped into the well holding placards and raised slogans. Amid the din, the Presiding Officer got important papers laid on the Table of the House.
Then, the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 was introduced in the Lower House by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav amid uproar by the Opposition. The Presiding Officer disapproved their conduct and asked them to go back to their respective seats, but, they defied. Later, Yadav with the permission of the Chair referred the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 to a Joint Committee of both the houses. The Presiding Officer then adjourned the House till April 3, 1100 hours. Earlier in the day, Presiding Officer Bhartruhari Mahtab adjourned the House till 1200 hours, shortly after it assembled for the day amid Opposition protest. “It is not the responsibility of the Chair alone to run the House. It is the responsibility of all the members,” he said.