Lok Sabha adjourned 4 times in one day as Opposition sloganeering disrupts Monsoon Session
Synopsis
The Lok Sabha could not stay in session for more than seven minutes at a stretch on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, adjourning four times in a single day. With the Opposition refusing to relent despite direct appeals from both the Chair and the Speaker, the day's legislative agenda was wiped out before it could begin.
Key Takeaways
The Lok Sabha was adjourned four times on 20 July , the opening day of the Monsoon Session .
The fourth adjournment came just two minutes after the House reconvened, with the sitting suspended until 2 pm .
At noon, proceedings lasted only seven minutes before another adjournment was called.
Speaker Om Birla and Chair Dilip Saikia both made repeated appeals for order, which the Opposition ignored.
PM Modi had urged all parliamentarians to engage in productive debate at the start of the session.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the fourth time on Monday, 20 July after the Opposition continued heavy sloganeering just two minutes into a fresh sitting, forcing the Chair to suspend proceedings until 2 pm. The repeated disruptions have effectively paralysed the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi.
How the day unravelled
The House was first adjourned until noon after Opposition members stormed the well and raised slogans shortly after proceedings began. When the Lok Sabha reconvened at noon, it lasted just seven minutes before being adjourned again until 12:30 pm. A third adjournment followed, pushing the restart to 1 pm. The fourth and final adjournment of the day came within two minutes of that sitting, with the Chair suspending the House until 2 pm.
What the Chair said
Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair during multiple sittings, repeatedly appealed to members to be seated so the House could take up Zero Hour and discuss what he called 'significant issues' affecting the country. 'This behaviour is not good for democracy... Do you not want the House to function?' Saikia asked, as the din on the Opposition benches showed no sign of abating.
Speaker Birla's appeal
Speaker Om Birla had opened the session by paying homage to former Members of Parliament who had passed away. Almost immediately after, Opposition members began sloganeering, disrupting the proceedings. Birla urged the House to maintain peace, reminding members that 'The Parliament is the highest forum of democracy and time will be allotted to everyone to speak.'
PM Modi's call for productive debate
Before the session began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the media at the start of the Monsoon Session, said India needs the wisdom of experienced parliamentarians to navigate global uncertainties. Modi called on all members to engage in productive debate and ensure that 'every voice finds an opportunity.' He added: 'When arguments and evidence are solid, one can effectively convey their message even in a composed manner. I hope that the discussions in the House will benefit from such reasoning and evidence. May every voice have a chance to be heard, and may every concept receive due respect.'
What this means for the session
Repeated adjournments on the opening day of a parliamentary session signal a difficult road ahead for legislative business. The Monsoon Session is typically scheduled to clear pending bills and address policy matters before the budget cycle. With the Opposition showing no signs of relenting, key agenda items risk being deferred. This is not an isolated pattern — disrupted opening days have become a recurring feature of recent parliamentary sessions, raising questions about the effectiveness of the current framework for managing House conduct.
Point of View
Which exists precisely to raise urgent public concerns, undermines the argument that disruption is a tool of accountability. Speaker Birla and Chair Saikia were left appealing to basic democratic norms in the very chamber that is supposed to model them. The deeper problem is structural: Parliament has no credible enforcement mechanism against repeated disruptions, and both sides have long calculated that the political cost of stonewalling is lower than the cost of engaging on the floor. Until that calculus changes, opening-day paralysis will remain a fixture of Indian parliamentary sessions.
NationPress
21 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the Lok Sabha adjourned four times on 20 July?
The Lok Sabha was adjourned four times on 20 July because Opposition members repeatedly sloganeered and created disruption in the well of the House, ignoring appeals from both the Chair and the Speaker to maintain order. The disruptions prevented any substantive business from being conducted on the opening day of the Monsoon Session.
How long did the Lok Sabha actually function before each adjournment?
The House lasted just seven minutes after reconvening at noon before its second adjournment. The fourth and final adjournment of the day came within two minutes of the House resuming, underscoring the severity of the disruption.
What did Speaker Om Birla say about the disruptions?
Speaker Om Birla urged the House to maintain peace, stating that 'The Parliament is the highest forum of democracy and time will be allotted to everyone to speak.' He had opened the session by paying homage to former MPs before the sloganeering began.
What did PM Modi say at the start of the Monsoon Session?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking to the media before the session, called on parliamentarians to engage in productive debate and ensure every voice finds an opportunity. He said solid arguments and evidence allow a message to be conveyed even in a composed manner.
What is Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha?
Zero Hour is a parliamentary convention in India that allows members to raise matters of urgent public importance without prior notice, typically held at noon. Chair Dilip Saikia had specifically asked the Opposition to be seated so the House could take up Zero Hour to discuss significant national issues.
