Amid uproar, the first day of monsoon session in the Upper House of Parliament faced four adjournments on Tuesday. Main Opposition Congress and the government locked horns over Lalitgate and the Congress appeared to be happy for successfully managing a washout of the first day’s proceedings.

Though Lok Sabha was adjourned without transacting any business after paying tributes to 13 former members who passed away, the Rajya Sabha witnessed stormy session with Congress leaders earlier demanding discussion, which was accepted by the Leader of the House Arun Jaitley, but changing their stand later and demanding resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her alleged role in helping former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. Deputy Leader of Opposition Anand Sharma, who was leading the Congress charge, alleged that the Prime Minister was shielding his party leaders who were involved in corruption cases.

When Arun Jaitley agreed to the Opposition demand that the House should start a discussion even though he claimed that Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was ready to give a statement in the Upper House, uproarious scenes from the Opposition benches forced an adjournment of the House. The Upper House faced four adjournments as the Congress managed to paralyse the House.

The government criticised the Congress stating that it was adopting a wrong stand. The government was willing to discuss everything. “We have nothing to hide, nothing to worry,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters. Naidu disclosed that many BJP MPs have given notices for discussion on scams in Congress-ruled States. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged that the claims of Congress that they were ready for discussion were ‘hollow’ as they did not allow the House to function. “They want only disruption,” Naqvi said. The Modi government was prepared with its reply to Congress’ charges, he added.