Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has announced the decision to revoke the extra 30-minutes break allowed for Friday prayers in the Parliament. He has stated that this is being done to match the timings of the Lok Sabha which does not allow for an extra break.
“Lok Sabha sits at 2 PM. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, being integral part of Parliament, need to adhere to the same time to the extent possible and, therefore, it was 2 PM on an earlier occasion as directed by me. So, this is not beginning today,” Jagdeep Dhankhar said.
As per the rulebook, the Rajya Sabha sits from 11 AM to 1 PM, and then from 2 PM to 6 PM, giving one hour lunch break from 1 PM to 2 PM. But on Fridays, the house sits after lunch at 2.30 PM. Although not mentioned, it is understood this extra break is allowed on Fridays for namaz.
DMK MP M. Mohamed Abdulla intervened to object to the decision, saying, “This has been the practice for such a long time, for 60-70 years. Sir, 2.30 PM was fixed for the purpose of Muslim Members for their jummah on Fridays. It was the practice.”
However, VP Dhankar said that parliament has members from all communities, and there can’t be a specific exception for Muslim parliamentarians only.
He said, “Hon. Members, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have Members drawn from all sections of the society. Lok Sabha sits at 2 PM. There are Members from every segment. Consciously, after due deliberation, I had effected it, indicated to the House and this was already in place in the last Session. It was stated that the House will meet after lunch at 2 p.m. being in conformity with the time frame indicated by Lok Sabha.”
The Rajya Sabha website however has still not altered the schedule. The timings still show the 2016 amendment which include the 30-minute break.
