No business in Parliament on day 12
The Opposition stalled Parliament proceedings for the 12th working day on Monday by continuing to insist on a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition stalled Parliament proceedings for the 12th working day on Monday by continuing to insist on a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition members, however, gave a break to their protests in the thinly-attended Lok Sabha to allow the House to laud the performance of Indian sportspersons in the Asian Games held in China.
Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were adjourned for an hour as soon as they met for the day at 11 AM and then for the day because of the pandemonium, with members trooping into the well raising slogans in favour of JPC probe.
In the Rajya Sabha, where the attendance was better than that in the Lower House, members from BJP and AIADMK were in the well even before Chairman Hamid Ansari could take seat.
Ansari urged the members "let us for a change take up the Question Hour" and took up the first listed question.
However, the Opposition members were unrelenting and shouted slogans "we want JPC", which led to adjournment of the House till noon.
When the House re-convened, Opposition members were again in the well even before Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan entered the House.
"Let me sit," Khan said. He repeatedly asked members to return to their seats but when his appeals failed, he adjourned the House for the day after papers were laid.
In the Lok Sabha, there was calm when the House met for the day and Speaker Meira Kumar read out a statement lauding the performance of Indian sportspersons in the recently concluded Asian Games.
Minister of State for Labour Harish Rawat was seen congratulating Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Indian Olympic Association and member from Pune.
But as soon as the Speaker took up the Question Hour, members of BJP, SP, AIADMK and other opposition parties rushed to the well demanding JPC probe, forcing Kumar to adjourn the House till noon.
When the House met again, similar scenes were witnessed as members trooped into the well, displaying placards and copies of newspapers carrying reports on the 2G spectrum scam.
Congress members too were seen carrying placards demanding removal of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for his alleged involvement in controversial land deals.
Interestingly, senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee, LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj were not present in the House.
The number of Cabinet ministers present in the House was also very less.