New Delhi

Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Thursday asked Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to "echo the sentiments" of the Opposition, which is demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's presence in the House, to the Union minister.

The request from the Chairman came when the House was facing continuous disruptions during the Question Hour soon after it met at 12 noon. The Chair repeatedly asked the protesting members not to shout during the proceedings and that they would be given a chance to put forth their views.

Radhakrishnan then called the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak.

However, members of the Treasury benches objected, leading to a heated exchange of words between the Opposition and ruling party members.

"If I don’t read the rules, if I don’t read my matter, should I read what you (Rijiju) give? It’s my right— what to speak, when to speak, how to speak," Kharge said.

The Opposition stuck to its demand seeking Shah's presence in the House to speak on police action on demonstrators, who were protesting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET, paper leak in the national capital last month.

Kharge said the Opposition raised genuine questions concerning the country and its 140 crore people.

"We are asking the Home Minister and the Prime Minister to come to the House. We request the Chair to direct the Home Minister to come and give a statement. We are ready to discuss it," he said.

Kharge said, in this very House, (late BJP leader) Arun Jaitley himself said that disruption is a part of Parliamentary democracy.

"But here, when we are asking genuine questions, they are escaping!" the Leader of Opposition (LoP) said.

The Chair then asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to "echo the sentiments" of the Opposition to the Home Minister.

"Now I request you to consider his (Kharge's) request. He requested the Home Minister come to the House...As a Parliamentary Affairs Minister, you can echo the sentiments of the opposition to the HM," Radhakrishnan said.

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Earlier, the Upper House saw the first adjournment, till noon, within half an hour of the beginning of the day's proceedings at 11 am, due to slogan-shouting by the Opposition.

When the Rajya Sabha reconvened at 12 noon, it was adjourned for the second time till 2.15 pm and then again for another hour, following uproar by the Opposition parties seeking the Home Minister's presence in the House.