New Delhi 

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday strongly criticised Congress MPs for disrupting Lok Sabha proceedings, alleging unruly behaviour inside the Speaker's chamber and accusing the party of deliberately stalling Parliament.

Reacting to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's warning to the Prime Minister on safety, Rijiju said the conduct of Congress MPs was unacceptable. This comes after Birla on Thursday said he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House to prevent any unpleasant incident after receiving information that some Congress MPs could approach the PM's seat and "resort to an unprecedented incident."

Reacting to this, Rijiju said, "There are not enough words to condemn the behaviour of the Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber. When the Congress party's leader has no control over himself, then what the Speaker has done is right."

He further alleged that the Congress had planned to create chaos when the Prime Minister entered the House.

"How the Congress planned to snatch away papers from the PM when he comes to the House. Parliament is not a place for 'gundagardi'. But when the Congress came to it, we acted with restraint. There is a limit to everything," Rijiju added.

The Union Minister said the government was keen to run the House, but disruptions were hindering parliamentary business.

"We want to run the House. If the Congress doesn't want the House to function, then the other MPs will have to suffer its loss," he further said.

In a separate statement, Rijiju said the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address could not be held due to continued disruptions. He alleged that the Congress leadership in the Lok Sabha was deliberately preventing proceedings.

"The debate on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address could not be held in the Lok Sabha. I think the Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha does not want the House to run. The Speaker is also hurt by the Congress MPs' behaviour," he said.

Rijiju warned that if the House remained stalled, the Opposition would be the most affected.

"We want to run the House, but if Congress doesn't allow the House to function and the Budget is passed by a voice vote, this will affect Opposition MPs the most, as they won't have a chance to speak on it. We have already submitted a list of all NDA MPs who will speak in the debate on the Budget. If the MPs don't get a chance to speak, the Congress party will be responsible," he said.

He further alleged that the Lok Sabha was being stalled due to Rahul Gandhi's stubbornness, adding that parliamentary rules must be followed.

"The House is stalled solely due to Rahul Gandhi's stubbornness. In the House, one must speak according to the rules. If he speaks outside the rules, there is a system in place to address it. These rules and systems were framed long ago, even during the time of his grandparents," Rijiju added.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha proceedings saw no legislative business happen on Monday as Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 12 noon amid Opposition sloganeering demanding a discussion on the India-US interim trade framework, disrupting question hour. The house was adjourned nearly seven minutes after it commenced for the week today.

Meanwhile, according to sources, the Opposition is planning to move no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Prior to the commencement of the question hour, Speaker Birla also congratulated the Indian Under-19 cricket team for their historic win in the World Cup tournament.

Earlier today, INDIA bloc parties had decided that they will participate in the discussion on the Union Budget to be held in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

READ MORE: Why reviving Ganga-Jamuni culture is the need of the hour

The decision was taken during a meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders held at the office of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the Parliament House complex. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.

The Opposition alliance is expected to raise key Budget-related issues during discussions in both Houses of Parliament.