Opposition members today forced repeated adjournment of the Rajya Sabha on the religious conversions issue. The upper house has been adjourned till 3 PM on the issue with the opposition insisting that Prime Minister should be present in the House during the discussion. This is for the fourth time the House has been adjourned amidst arguments and counter-arguments between opposition and treasury bench members.

When the Upper House re-assembled at 2 PM, opposition members reiterated their demand for discussion on the issue in the presence of the Prime Minister. JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and Anand Sharma of the Congress along with other opposition members unanimously demanded an assurance from the Prime Minister on the issue. Amidst noisy scenes, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley asked whether the opposition wanted a ban on religion conversions or ban on forcible conversions. This again led to noisy scenes and several Congress members trooped into the well of the House forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourn the House till 3 PM.

Meanwhile, Opposition parties today said they will not allow the Rajya Sabha to function until government agrees for a discussion on the issue of religious conversion. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said that the parties have conveyed their decision to Chairman Md. Hamid Ansari. He said the House will only be allowed to transact business when Prime Minister assures the Upper House that conversion incidents will not take place in future and BJP MPs will not make communal remarks.

Mr. Yechury said despite Narendra Modi’s assurance to Parliament BJP MPs are still continuing with provocative statements. He alleged that BJP leaders are trying to destroy the secular fabric of the country. Meanwhile Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkiah Naidu appealed to opposition parties to allow the Rajya Sabha to function. He told reporters that he has informed the Chairman that the government is ready to discuss all issues including religious conversions.