New Delhi, 5 September 2011

Lok Sabha was adjourned three times on the issue of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s demand to recall of Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal over appointing a Lokyukta without consulting state chief minister.

As soon as the house met for question hour, the BJP MPs raised slogans pressing for their demand and several of them rushed towards the speaker’s podium. With the BJP MPs unrelenting, Meira Kumar adjourned the house till noon.

Similar scenes were witnessed when the house met again, but Deputy Speaker Karia Munda rushed through some of the day’s business of laying papers in the house. But he could not continue for long and had to adjourn the house till 2 p.m.

Post-lunch, the BJP MPs were again at their slogan shouting, demanding the Gujarat governor’s recall. As the BJP MPs crowded close to her podium, Meira Kumar adjourned the house till 4 p.m., the third in the day.

Rajya Sabha adjourned for day

Similarly the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on same issue.

The house witnessed two disruptions before being adjourned for the day.

After the house reassembled at 2 p.m. following the earlier adjournments, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan said that Commercial Division of High Courts Bill, 2010 should be taken up. However, BJP members came near his podium raising slogans over Governor Kamla Beniwal’s appointment of retired judge R.A. Mehta as the Lokayukta.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said the matter was subjudice and Gujarat High Court was looking into the matter.

However, BJP members continued to raise slogans. The chair then adjourned the house till Tuesday.

The issue was raised by BJP members soon after the house met for the day. Some party members gathered the near the podium and Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house till 12 noon.

After the house reassembled, BJP members continued their protest. The chair then adjourned the house till 2 p.m.

Vijaykumar Rupani, a BJP MP from Gujarat, said the government had not responded though the issue of the Lokayukta’s appointment was being raised in the house for three days.

‘The appointment of the Lokayukta without consulting the state government is in violation of the constitution. The notification of his appointment should be taken back,’ Rupani told IANS.

He said ‘the federal structure will crash’ if appointments were made in this manner.

The BJP MP said it was the duty of the government to ensure that the house functioned smoothly and that it should respond to issues raised by the opposition.

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