Question Hour disrupted over Vajpayee's letter to Speaker

New Delhi, Aug 11: The CPI(M) and BJP members disrupted the Lok Sabha proceedings for the second day today over Atal Bihari Vajpayee's letter to Speaker Somnath Chatterjee questioning the impartiality of the Chair.

The two sides did not allow the Question Hour, forcing Mr Chatterjee to adjourn the House till 1200 hrs within five minutes of its meeting.

CPI(M)'s Basudeb Acharia entered into a verbal duel with the BJP members after the Speaker said he had rejected Mr Acharia's notice for the suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the issue.

Mr Chatterjee then requested the members to take their seats and called for the first question, but Mr Acharia and the BJP members continued with their heated exchanges. He was supported by his colleagues and Mr Devendra Prasad Yadav (RJD).

When the Speaker failed to restore order, he adjourned the House till 1200 hrs saying: ''This is another sad day in the history of Indian Parliament.'' Yesterday, very little business could be transacted as the Left parties took exception to Mr Vajpayee's letter and clashed with the opposition benches. The House was adjourned for the day after three quick adjournments.

On Tuesday, the BJP-led Opposition boycotted the Lok Sabha to protest against the Speaker's decision of not allowing them to raise a privilege motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a day earlier on leakage of the Pathak Inquiry Authority Report to the media.

In between, Mr Chatterjee wrote to the NDA to reconsider its decision to boycott the House.

In his reply, Mr Vajpayee observed that ''a legislature's proceedings can be smooth and constructive only if the Presiding Officer is able to inspire as much confidence in the Opposition as he is able to do in the ruling parties''.

''A stark reality is that the situation is totally absent in our House,'' he wrote.

UNI