RS adjourned for day on Nandigram issue

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day today over Nandigram issue immediately after the House re-assembled at 1400 hrs to take up the day's business.

This was the third adjournment during the day--this time for the day--without the House transacting any business.

Immediately after the House re-assembled at 1400 hrs, Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan read out a message from the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry re-scheduling the House after recess from April 26 instead of the earlier announced April 18.

He later asked Finance Minister P Chidambaram to move the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2007.

As Mr Chidambaram got up to move the amendment, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj requested the Chair to take up their notice on the Nandigram issue. However, the Chair disallowed and asked Mr Chidambaram to proceed.

The Bill was passed subsequently amid loud protests by the opposition BJP who were joined by Trinamool Congress members.

The entire drama took about four minutes. As soon as the Bill was passed, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House till tomorrow.

Earlier in the morning, as the House assembled at 1100 Hrs to take up the Question Hour, treasury bench members rose in protest against yesterday's incident in which BJP Member S S Ahluwalia allegedly tried to disrupt Finance Minister P Chidambaram while he was reading out his reply.

BJP members came out in support of their Party colleague resulting in Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat adjourning the House till 1200 hrs.

Congress Members were demanding an apology from Mr Ahluwalia over yesterday's incident.

Pandemonium followed soon after the House re-assembled at 1200 hrs with opposition members shouting slogans demanding action against West Bengal Chief Minister Budhadeb Bhattacharya over the Nandigram issue.

Trinamool Congress and BJP members trooped into the well of the House. As the protests and slogan shouting continued, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the the House till 1400 hrs.

Eds: Pick up here suitably from earlier series.

UNI