Lok Sabha adjourns for 20 minutes as DMK, NDA members spar

New Delhi, May 3 (UNI) The Lok Sabha was adjourned for 20 minutes till 1230 hrs as DMK and NDA members had heated exchanges on the Sethu Samudram project.

As soon as question hour was over, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra to raise the issue for which the BJP leader had given notice.

No sooner had Prof Malhotra begun making his point that Ram Setu was facing destruction, Shipping Minister T R Baalu raised objection stating that the issue was pending before Allahabad High Court and as such the matter was sub judice and could not be raised in the House.

DMK members were also on their feet in support of Mr Baalu.

Shortly, BJP members and a few MPs from the other parties of the opposition NDA trooped into the well, seeking that Prof Malhotra be allowed to raise the issue.

Prof Malhotra maintained that the points he wanted to raise did not fall within the purview of the case pending before the court.

As din continued to prevail, the Speaker asked the BJP leader to send the points to him to enable him to decide whether the issue was sub judice and adjourned the House.

UNI