The first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament was marred by disruptions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the Opposition of not liking “women and those from deprived sections — Dalits, tribals, farmers and OBCs — finding their place in the Union Cabinet.”

The PM made this calculated attack on the Opposition in the Lok Sabha after sloganeering erupted when Modi wanted to introduce to the House, as per convention, the new members in the Council of Ministers who were inducted by him in a major reshuffle on July 7. The Opposition members ignored Speaker Om Birla’s repeated appeals for calm.

Opposition parties sprang to noisy protests and raised issues of price rise, farm laws and picked up placards as soon as the Prime Minister got up to present the new Ministers inducted into his Cabinet. As Modi started his address, the Opposition Benches raised the decibel of their protests.

Modi said he thought there would be an enthusiastic welcome to so many women, Dalits, tribals and OBCs becoming Ministers.

"They should have been honoured", Modi said and added "but perhaps, many people don't like Dalits, tribals and OBCs becoming Ministers."

As interruptions continued, on the suggestion of the Speaker, the Prime Minister said he deemed them introduced to the House and laid the list of Ministers on the table.

Soon after Modi sat down, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stood up to say that in the last 24 years in the House he had seen the tradition of the Prime Minister introducing new Ministers being respected by the Opposition. He said breaking this tradition by the Congress was "unhealthy, sad and unfortunate."

At this point the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 P.M. and as order could not be restored it was adjourned till 3.30 P.M. again. When the House resumed amid noisy scenes, Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw read out a statement denying the Opposition’s charges of surveillance by the Government and the Pegasus controversy.

The Rajya Sabha also witnessed similar scenes.

The Opposition made its intentions clear as soon as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu started his speech in the pre-lunch session.  Similar scenes were witnessed when Modi came to the House to introduce his Ministers and was unable to do so.