Lok Sabha adjourned as no financial business

New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was at a low profile today when the Lok Sabha witnessed frequent disturbances and adjournments over the government's reported move to bring an ordinance on office of profit issue.

Mr Chatterjee, who presided over the House when it was assembled in the morning, adjourned the House within 15 minutes after the opposition raised the issue based on a newspaper report.Later at his chamber, Mr Chatterjee told the leaders of political parties that it was not fair on his part to conduct the proceedings of the House especially when his name had also been mentioned in the newspaper report.

Though the political party leaders had told the Speaker that their ire was not against him, an unrelented Chatterjee decided to keep away from the House and asked Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal to conduct the proceedings for the rest of the day.

Amidst heated arguments between the opposition and the ruling benches, the Deputy Speaker had to adjourn the House five times.

Finally, at 1630 hrs, he announced that the House was adjourned sine die.

The Speaker had no role to play today except for the first 15 minutes. The decision to adjourn the House sine die was conveyed to the Deputy Speaker by the government as there was "no financial business'.

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