Monsoon session of Parliament ends on a stormy note

New Delhi, Sept 7: The whole of monsoon session of Parliament saw no business transaction, as its last working day also witnessed massive protest from the members of opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, Sept 7. Thus, the entire 13-day-long schedule of the Parliament proved futile, as no constructive debate or discussion took place, causing loss to the public money that funds the functioning of both the houses of Parliament.

The members of the opposition party have been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the issue of coal block allocation.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon after opposition triggered ruckus on the issue. This was the 13th consecutive day that Parliament was adjourned without transacting any significant business amid stormy scenes over coal block allocation and some other controversial issues.

AIADMK members were found in the Well of the house, waving copies of a newspaper carrying reports of Finance Minister P Chidambaram's alleged involvement in a land grab case. DMK members were protesting against the upcoming visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India.

In the Lok Sabha, BJP members trooped to the Well as soon as Speaker Meira Kumar took up the Question Hour. They raised slogans demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. The House plunged into turmoil as AIADMK and DMK members also joined the BJP members and raised different issues. The Speaker adjourned the proceedings till noon within a minute of convening the House.

In the Rajya Sabha, soon after Chairman Hamid Ansari announced the retirement of Secretary General VK Agnihotri, BJP members raised slogans against the government on the alleged coal scam. Some SP and AIADMK members too were up on their feet but could not be heard in the din. As the slogan shouting members were unrelenting, Ansari adjourned the House till noon. Earlier, the House appreciated Agnihotri, a 1968-batch IAS officer, for "devotion" and "dedication" towards his duties.

PTI