Pandemonium mars LS business

New Delhi: Pandemonium and acrimony prevailed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday as protesting Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, protesting alleged misuse of the CBI, clashed with treasury benches when the Motion of Thanks on President’s address was taken up for discussion.

Principal Opposition Congress too staged a walk out saying its members should have been the first ones to speak but were being denied a chance.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan told Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, that he wasn’t present in the House when his name was called.

As BJP MP Hukmdev Narayan Yadav initiated the discussion, most of the TMC members trooped into the Well and started shouting slogans.

Despite requests from the Speaker, they continued with their protest on the issue of CBI trying to question the Kolkata police chief in connection with the chit fund scam cases.

When Mr Yadav alleged that “corrupt and anti-social elements” were grouping together against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, most of the Opposition members stood up and urged the Speaker to expunge the statement.

As the verbal duel continued, Aparupa Poddar (TMC) and Veena Devi (LJP) made threatening gestures at each other. The situation was salvaged by senior members of the House.

A visibly upset Speaker then asked the members to maintain decorum and adjourned the house for 10 minutes till 2:30 pm.

When the House reassembled, Yadav praised the various initiatives of the government for uplift of the poor, downtrodden and marginalised.

When the Speaker called Mr Kharge to speak, the Congress leader said as there was no order in the House, the discussion should be postponed to Wednesday.

To this, the Speaker asked as to what was the guarantee that the House would run smoothly on Wednesday. Mr Kharge replied that how can Opposition remain quiet when the “government is making so many mistakes”.

TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay too demanded that the discussion be postponed to Wednesday and assured that his party will cooperate.