LS adjourned as Oppn agitates over paddy MSP

New Delhi, Aug 1: Lok Sabha was adjourned twice this morning up to noon after Opposition members trooped into the well to protest the meagre increase of Rs 10 in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy.

Shouting slogans, Opposition MPs disrupted the Question Hour as soon as the session began at 1100 hrs this morning, calling the UPA government ''anti-farmer''.

The BJP and Shiv Sena supported the Shiromani Akali Dal's demand that a calling attention motion on the need to increase MSP for agricultural and horticultural produce should be taken up suspending Question Hour.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee rejected the demand, but the Opposition continued its protests, which prompted Mr Chatterjee to comment that the protestors were ''anti-farmer'' because they were not allowing a proper discussion on the motion to be taken up later.

The protestors remained adamant forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 15 minutes till 1130 hrs.

When the House assembled again, the Speaker regretted his comments saying he made the remark ''out of exasperation'' at the disruption of business.

The Opposition members, however, continued their protests leading to the second adjournment till 1200 hrs.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had on July 27 aproved an increase of Rs 10 each in the MSP for the two varieties of paddy.

For Paddy (Common) the MSP was raised to Rs 580 from Rs 570 per quintal while for Paddy (Grade A), it was increased to Rs 610 from Rs 600 per quintal.

The notice for the calling attention motion had been given along with the Akali Dal member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa by CPI (M) MP Basudeb Acharia and others.

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi protested that a calling attention motion on the issue could not taken up during the Question Hour.

Members of the Treasury benches tried to outdo the Opposition by shouting counter-slogans, ''Kisano pe rajniti karni band karo'' (stop playing politics on farmers' issues).

UNI