Amid a noisy confrontation between the treasury and opposition benches, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday sent the contentious FCRA amendment bill to a joint parliamentary committee and approved a bill to amend laws on mines and mineral development without any discussion, before adjourning for the day on the second-to-last day of the Monsoon Session.

At the start of the day, Speaker Om Birla told the protesting Opposition members that, even though their approaches and opinions may differ from those of the ruling coalition, the country expects the House to operate.

He also called on the Opposition to allow the House to carry out its work, stressing that it was wrong for them to tarnish the institution’s image by holding protests and chanting slogans.

Facing an unyielding Opposition, he adjourned the proceedings until 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah informed reporters outside Parliament that the government was prepared to hold a discussion on the students’ protest concerning the NEET issue and had written a letter to LS Speaker on the matter.

When the Lok Sabha reconvened at 2 pm, the government put forward a proposal to refer the FCRA amendment bill to a joint parliamentary committee, and the House approved the motion.

This occurred even as the Opposition demanded that the bill be withdrawn, alleging it was aimed at minorities.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju challenged the Opposition to identify a single provision in the bill that discriminated against minorities.

After a short adjournment, the House reconvened at 3 p.m. and subsequently passed the Mines and Minerals Bill.

Amid opposition protests, Rijiju said the government was ready to immediately start a discussion on the student demonstrations over the NEET issue, and that Shah had already informed the Speaker of this in writing.

He added that the Opposition should not avoid the debate when the Home Minister was prepared to respond to all their questions.

As the deadlock persisted, with members from the treasury benches also bringing up the matter of student protests in Jharkhand, the Chair adjourned the House until 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Earlier in the morning, the Question Hour ended in under three minutes.

Since the Monsoon Session began on July 20, the Question Hour has not been completed on any single day. Wednesday marked the 18th consecutive day that this crucial question hour was disrupted.

Lok Sabha proceedings have faced constant disruptions since the Monsoon Session began on July 20, due to ongoing disagreements between the Opposition and the government on several issues, including student protests and the controversy over donations to the Ram Mandir.