Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid disruptions

The Lok Sabha lost the second last day of the winter session on Thursday to disruptions, with the opposition benches demanding a debate on demonetisation while the treasury benches demanded a discussion on the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

As the house met, opposition members were on their feet while members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party waved a newspaper clipping and also raised their voices.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan warned members against displaying papers in the house before adjourning the house till noon. The house met again only to witness more din.

The opposition members blamed the BJP for obstructing the debate.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said: "There is one more day left before the end of the session. A discussion could have been initiated, without any rules".

Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader A. P. Jithender Reddy said he should be allowed to speak as he has started the discussion on demonetisation under rule 193.

"Every party has problem with implementation of demonetisation... I was not allowed to speak," Reddy said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar raised the AgustaWestland issue and said the names of Congress leaders were mentioned in middleman Christian Michel's diary.

This further irked the opposition members and the ruckus grew louder, following which Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the house for the day.

Thursday was the second last day of the winter session, which is to end on Friday.

--IANS

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