Ruckus in RS over NRC in Assam, House adjourned briefly
New Delhi, July 30: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned briefly on Monday after the opposition created pandemonium over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam terming it "inhuman".
Soon after the laying of papers and statements by the Minister on the table of the House, Trinamool members were on their feet.
Trinamool's Derek O'Brian wanted to raise the issue but could not speak as the ruckus continued. The Congress and other opposition members were also seen supporting the issue being raised by the TMC.
Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu asked the agitating members to go back to their seats as he was ready for a discussion on the issue.
"Some members met me in my chamber. I have requested the Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) to be present in the House. He is here. Bring order in the House. The Home Minister is ready to respond," Naidu said.
But the Trinamool members did not relent even though Rajnath Singh was present in the House.
Amid the din, O'Brian and other TMC members were heard saying that the NRC in Assam is "inhuman". They also wanted a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
Some TMC members were heard saying that their party has given notice for adjournment over the issue but Naidu rejected the claim, saying that he has not received any notice.
Naidu warned the members that he will adjourn the House but the opposition members were on their feet. As the din continued, he adjourned the House till 12.00 noon. The Assam government is scheduled to release the updated NRC on Monday.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
