Yet another washout day in House

New Delhi: Opposition protests on Monday forced the adjournment of proceedings in both Houses of Parliament for the day without transaction of any business as members trooped into the Well of the House and shouted slogans, creating pandemonium.

Ever since the Parliament reconvened on March 5 for the second leg of the Budget Session, owing to protests by Opposition Congress on the Punjab National Bank fraud issue, the NDA’s erstwhile ally TDP seeking special status for Andhra Pradesh, as well as AIADMK demanding setting up of the Cauvery board, both houses have failed to function at all.

Several no-confidence motions by the Opposition parties against the government are yet to be taken up. Before adjourning the Lok Sabha for the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she was unable to take up the notices for no-confidence motion against the government, served by several opposition parties, as there was no order in the House.

On Monday, when the Lok Sabha met again at 12 pm after being adjourned within three minutes during Question Hour, Ms Mahajan said that she has received notices for no confidence motion against the council of ministers by several parties like Congress, TDP and YSR Congress among others.

She said that she will have to bring the notices before the House

However as members from the Opposition and several other parties continued to protest in the Well of the House, Ms Mahajan said that she will not be in a position to count the heads.

She asked Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to rein in his MPs, even as he requested the Speaker to allow the no confidence motions against the Centre to be taken up..

Mr Kharge said that the Opposition is ready to discuss as there are several issues like the SC/ST protests across the country and even the CBSE paper leak issue is also important.

He requested the Speaker to take up the motions for discussion.

However Ms Mahajan adjourned the House for the day saying that it was not in order.  

Earlier, as soon as Lok Sabha met for the day and took up the Question Hour, AIADMK members rushed into the Well shouting slogans such as ‘we want justice’ and ‘we demand Cauvery board.’

Similar scenes were witnessed in Rajya Sabha as MPs belonging to the Congress, Trinamul Congress, BSP, TDP and those of Tamil parties — DMK and AIADMK, were in the Well even before Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu could settle down in his chair in the morning.

The Congress and the BSP led the charge against the government, accusing it of being “anti-dalit,” an apparent reference to the Supreme Court ruling on the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.