The Rajya Sabha witnessed a brief disruption on Friday when the proceedings were adjourned for ten minutes after it was pointed out that no Cabinet Minister was present in the House. The issue was raised immediately after members paid tribute to the security personnel who courageously repelled the 2001 Parliament terror attack.
Opposition MPs drew attention to the absence of Cabinet Ministers, prompting Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan to intervene. He assured the House that he would take up the matter with the government and directed a junior minister to arrange for the presence of a Cabinet Minister.
“I understand the procedure. I have requested the minister. One of the Cabinet Ministers should come,” Radhakrishnan stated.
However, Opposition members remained dissatisfied and demanded that the House be adjourned until a Cabinet Minister was present. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the situation, calling it “an insult to the House,” and reiterated the demand for an adjournment.
After waiting for around five minutes with no Cabinet Minister in sight, the Chairman suspended the proceedings for ten minutes.
When the Rajya Sabha reconvened, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed regret over the absence of senior ministers. He explained that he had been in the Lok Sabha to participate in tributes following the passing of former Speaker and former Home Minister Shivraj Patil.
He added that Leader of the House J. P. Nadda was also occupied in the Lower House as he had scheduled questions listed for the session. “I regret that a Cabinet Minister was not there,” Rijiju said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari pointed out that Patil had also served as a Rajya Sabha member and sought that the Upper House should pay its respects as well. Rijiju responded that the Secretariat was in the process of scheduling a condolence reference.
When the House resumed its business, several senior ministers—including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman—were present.
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