Parliament no place for dharnas: RS circular

New Delhi: Demonstrations, dharnas or religious ceremonies cannot be held in the precincts of Parliament House, a circular by the Rajya Sabha secretariat has said, drawing ire from the Opposition on Friday even as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla insisted that such notices were being issued for years.

The Rajya Sabha secretariat has said that the circular has not been issued for the first time and such advice has been reiterated from time to time.

They said such a circular is issued normally ahead of every session of Parliament.

The secretariat also provided copies of the similar circular issued during the Congress-led UPA regime in 2013 and said such circulars are being issued for many years now.