Lok Sabha adjourned for day amid din over demonetisation

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday following ruckus created by the opposition over demonetisation as the Congress and the Trinamool Congress persisted with their demand for a discussion under the rules entailing voting.

Soon after the House met for the day, Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay raised the issue of the army deployment issue in West Bengal, saying the state government was kept in the dark on the matter.

The claim was refuted by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who dubbed it as a routine exercise held annually since past many years.

Congress, Trinamool, and the Left members then trooped near the Speaker's podium and shouted slogans against the demonetisation move, while members of the AIADMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nationalist Congress Party stood up at their seats.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged the agitating members not to disturb the Question Hour as it was the right of the other members.

She also warned some of the agitating members not to disrupt Ministers when they were giving replies.

"This is not proper to disturb the Ministers when he is replying. I am warning you... I will have to name you...," a miffed Mahajan said.

"Please dont come this side (towards treasury benches). I never prevented you from what you are doing but please don't curb the rights of other members," she added.

But the opposition did not relent.

As the din continued during the Question Hour, Mahajan adjourned the House briefly till 12.

When the House reassembled, she disallowed all the notices of adjournment motion given by dozens of opposition leaders on different issues.

As the notices were disallowed, the opposition members again troopped near Speaker's podium and continued their protest.

Amid the din, the Speaker asked the members to raise the important issues during Zero Hour.

After half an hour, when the protests showed no signs of abating, Mahajan adjourned the house for the day.

--IANS

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