The Opposition continued to paralyse Parliament for the fourth day on Monday, pressing for a probe into the charges against the Adani Group and a discussion on the issue while the government showed no signs of relenting.

The government indicated that the Opposition can raise the issues while debating the motion of thanks to the President’s address to the joint session of Parliament.

“The first priority in the budget session is to pass the motion of thanks to the President’s address. I want to again urge the Opposition to allow the debate to start. They (Opposition) can say whatever they want during the debate. What the finance minister had to say (on the Adani issue) is already in the public domain,” parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said during the post-lunch session.

Joshi’s statement was seen as an effort to drive a wedge in the Opposition camp. So far, the Opposition has been unitedly demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of fraud and manipulation made by the US-based Hindenburg Research against billionaire Gautam Adani’s companies that triggered an unprecedented stock crash.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to run the Question Hour, slamming the Opposition members for raising slogans in the Well of the House, asking whether people had elected them to stall House proceedings.

Birla said the House was for debate and discussion and urged the members to hold talks if they wanted to raise a particular issue.

The Opposition members did not pay heed as adjournment motions to discuss the Adani issue were not allowed.

The Speaker picked on the Congress MPs and said they belonged to the grand old party that had ruled the country for decades and it didn’t reflect well on them to disturb the House by raising slogans.

“Raising slogans is incongruous with the dignity of the Indian Parliament. You (Congress) have ruled for many years. Your party is so old. This kind of behaviour is not right,” Birla was heard telling during the Question Hour before adjourning the House till 2pm.

Protests in the Well of the House resumed after the Lok Sabha reassembled. The House was adjourned for the day after Joshi urged the Opposition to raise the issue during the motion of thanks debate.

In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar also told the Opposition members that they can “raise issues close to their heart” while debating the motion of thanks to the President’s address.

Dhankhar said so while rejecting notices by Opposition members under Rule 267 to suspend all business of the House and hold a discussion on the Adani issue. Dhankhar declined the Opposition’s demand of holding a discussion on the Adani issue.

“Committed as I am to the rule of law and the Constitution, I am unable to allow the notices being not in conformity with the rule and directions of the Chair,” he said.

During the post-lunch session in the Upper House, the Opposition demanded that their leader Mallikarjun Kharge be allowed to speak on the Adani issue, recalling how Dhankhar during the winter session had promised to allow the leader of the Opposition, leader of the House and former Prime Ministers to speak whenever they would like to speak.

Dhankhar, however, did not relent and adjourned the House for the day.