Parliament condemns blast, both Houses adjourned

Parliament today unequivocally condemned the blast outside Delhi High Court and adjourned the proceedings till the government gathered facts and made a statement in both the Houses.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12:30 pm when Home Minister P Chidambaram was expected to make a statement, while the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm.

At the outset, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar condemned the blast as a dastardly act and asked the government to make a statement.

Cutting across party lines, leaders condemned the blasts as a cowardly act and said the Lok Sabha cannot continue with business "while people continue to die just over a kilometre from Parliament."

BJP veteran LK Advani condemned the incident and urged the Speaker to adjourn the Lok Sabha till the government made a statement on the blast outside the High Court.

Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP) also asked the Home Minister to make a statement on the issue and requested the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.

He also said some foreign nationals come into the country undetected, carry out such incidents and get way.

Sharad Yadav (JD-U) shared the views expressed by members and said the fact that the blast occurred within a kilometre from Parliament was disturbing.

Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M) termed the blast as a "disturbing incident" which should be condemned not only by the House but by the entire country.

He too said that the Lok Sabha should be adjourned till noon and the Home Minister should make a statement on the issue when the House meets.