RS adjourned fourth time on disqualification issue

New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) The Samajwadi Party forced yet another adjournment of the Rajya Sabha today, the fourth in a row, on the issue of a newspaper report saying the government wanted to bring in an ordinance to amend the 'Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959.

The House was adjourned twice in the pre-lunch session and once in the post-lunch session on the same issue. This time the House was adjourned for two and a half hours.

As soon as the House assembled at 1430 hrs after the first post-lunch adjournment, SP members were again on their feet shouting slogans. They trooped into the well of the House.

Deputy Speaker Rehman Khan repeatedly urged the members to maintain calm as Leader of the Opposition in the House Jaswant Singh wanted a clarification. He asked Mr Singh if he wanted to have a clarification. Mr Singh, however, nodded his head in disapproval following which the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House till 1700 Hrs.

Amid all this noise, Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss placed on the table a suo motu statement on the purchase of anti-viral drugs for avian influenza.

Eds: Pick up suitably from earlier series.

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