LS adjourns twice, to discuss Nuke deal at 1600 hrs
New
Delhi,
Sep
10:
The
BJP-led
Opposition
disrupted
the
proceedings
of
the
Lok
Sabha
for
the
fourth
consecutive
day
today
demanding
constitution
of
a
Joint
Parliamentary
Committee
(JPC)
to
go
into
the
Indo-US
Nuke
deal,
forcing
adjournment
of
the
house
till
1600
hrs.
When
the
house
meets
again
at
1600
hrs,
it
will
take
up
for
discussion,
as
per
the
slated
business
of
the
day,
the
statement
made
by
Prime
Minister
Manmohan
Singh
on
August
13
this
year
regarding
the
civil
energy
cooperation
with
the
United
States.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had to adjourn the House within five minutes after the house began its day's sitting with the agitated Opposition members demanding suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the Nuke deal.
When the house reassembled at 1200 hrs, there was no change in the mood of the Opposition who rushed to the well of the house shouting slogans against the government for constituting the UPA-Left committee to go into the nuclear issue, instead of putting in its place a JPC.
Amid the din, the Chair rushed through the legislative business slated for the day and got the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2006 passed by voice vote.
As the opposition persisted with its slogan shouting demonstration in the well of the House, the Speaker announced the adjournment of the House till 1600 hrs when the it would take up for discussion the Indo-US Nuke deal.
Earlier during the Question Hour, the lower House paid homage to victims of September 7 road accident in Rajasthan and yesterday's bridge collapse in Hyderabad.
Immediately, after this the Opposition members were on their feet, calling for the suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the nuclear issue.
BJP Deputy Leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra and JD (U) leader Prabhunath Singh said they had already given notices in this regard, but the Government did not want to debate the issue.
Speaker Chatterjee pleaded to the Opposition to allow the Question Hour to be taken up, but to no avail. He said there were many important matters listed on the agenda.
Mr Singh said he understood that price rise and farmers' problem were important matters, but he had given a notice for the suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the demand for the JPC.
He said the Government was not interested, prompting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi to state that nothing was being done to undermine the role of the Opposition as defined in the Constitution. It was, in fact, the Opposition stalling the proceedings.
At this, Mr Malhotra and other NDA members stood on their feet, but what the BJP Deputy leader said could not be heard in the din.
Amid the pandemonium, the Speaker adjourned the House till 1200 hrs within five minutes of its meeting.
UNI