Back in LS, agitating Congress members force adjournment

New Delhi

Proceedings in Lok Sabha were disrupted today with the House witnessing four adjournments due to continued noisy protests by the Opposition over various issues, as Congress members returned to the Lower House which they had boycotted last week.

The 25 Congress members, whose five-day suspension by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan ended on Friday evening, were back in the House in full strength. During their suspension, some opposition parties, including Congress, boycotted the proceedings while several others expressed their solidarity by walking out of the House all these days.

The vociferous protests by Congress and other opposition members today led the House to adjourn thrice since it assembled in the morning and the fourth time when it was adjourned till tomorrow. Agitated Congress members, wearing black bands, trooped in the Well several times holding placards and shouting slogans against the government over the Lalit Modi controversy and Vyapam scam.

Though the Lok Sabha took up some business amidst the sloganeering, the House was adjourned for the day by Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai soon after it met at 2 PM.

Earlier at 12.30 PM when the Deputy Speaker proceeded with the business by taking up Zero Hour, the Congress members protested demanding that since the House was not in order it should be adjourned.

Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge said “all our members were suspended under the Rules … for disorder and showing placard. The Rules also say that when the House is not in Order, no business will take place.”

“When we are in the Well raising an issue, we are suspended. But when the House is not in order, business still take place… I would request you that since the House is not in order, please suspend the business,” the Congress leader said. Thereafter, the Congress member continued their protests forcing Thambidurai to adjourn the House till 2 PM.

In the din, Minister of State for Shipping P Radhakrishnan also introduced the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2015, in the House.

When the House assembled for the day, the Speaker welcomed a parliamentary delegation from Bhutan and then nominated member and noted Bengali filmstar George Baker was sworn in.

Mahajan thereafter led the House in condoling the death of 11 persons in a stampede at a temple in Deoghar town of Jharkhand early today, after which the members stood in silence to pay homage to the deceased.

Kharge then rose to speak and slammed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for making a statement on the Lalit Modi issue last week when virtually the entire opposition was not present in the House.

Taking a dig at Swaraj who was not present then, Kharge said she had “used or misused” the situation of the absence of the opposition by delivering a “long speech”.

“But her statement will not end the issue…what she has done (alleged helping Lalit Modi) is not in national interest.

She has helped a fugitive, an economic offender… check the files about what (then Union minister) P Chidambaram had said,” Kharge said.

When he alleged that the help extended to the former IPL chief was “not humanitarian”, but “commercial” in nature, there was an angry reaction from the BJP benches.

Speaker asked Kharge not to raise the issue any further and said it could be raised later.

While most Congress members were in the Well raising slogans and holding placards, they were joined by some members of the Left parties.

Some other Left members were standing on their seats and Trinamool Congress members too were standing on their seats but not raising slogans. YSR Congress members were also on their seats holding placards demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

The Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes amid continued bedlam, at the suggestion of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to talk to leaders of various parties to break the logjam.

PTI