The Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day following uproar over the Centre’s new sugarcane price policy
Earlier, the House was adjourned until noon after opposition members disrupted the proceedings demanding a better deal for sugarcane farmers.
As soon as the house assembled,
opposition MPs mainly of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) walked towards Speaker Meira Kumar shouting anti-government slogans.
Thousands of sugarcane farmers gathered in the Indian capital Thursday to protest a Rs.35 per quintal drop in price they get for their crop after an Oct 21 government ordinance.
"Kala kanoon vapas lo!" the MPs kept shouting, referring to the ordinance. Despite pleadings from the speaker, they refused to take their seats, forcing Meira Kumar to adjourn the Lok Sabha until 12 noon.
The main opposition has also demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 2009.
Deputy Leader of BJP in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said the opposition wanted a discussion on the sugarcane price issue and had requested the Speaker in the morning to allow it, but the government did not agree.
An Adjournment Motion cannot be moved in the Upper House, leaving the opposition with only the latter option.
Swaraj rubbished the contention of government sources that the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 2009 had to be brought in to generate resources for meeting a Supreme Court order, that directed the government to pay Rs 14,000 crore to sugar mills.