Parliament adjourned over coal block issue, Chinese incursion

The Lok Sabha was adjourned Friday as opposition members created a ruckus over the coal block allocations and Chinese incursion in Ladakh while proceedings in the Rajya Sabha couldn't take place due to lack of quorum.

In both the houses, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) persisted with its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks, while the Samajwadi Party raised slogans over the incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh's Depsang area.

Both houses lost the crucial question hour and were first adjourned till noon, minutes after proceedings began at 11 a.m.

Resuming sitting at 12 noon, the Rajya Sabha witnessed disruptions again, forcing Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien to adjourn the house till 2.30 p.m.

However, when the upper house met again to take up Private Members' Bills, only 15 members were present and members of the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Left parties remain absent.

Hence, the house was adjourned due to lack of quorum or the presence of minimum number of members, which is 10 percent attendance of the total members or 25 members in the 245-member house.

At 2.30 p.m., only 15 members were present in the House, which rose to 19 by the time the House was adjourned.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after it met at noon.

The two houses did not transact any business, except the routine tabling of papers, which took place amid the ruckus.

Both houses have seen repeated disruptions by opposition parties over the allocation of coal blocks and 2G spectrum.

The BJP has said it will not let parliament function till Manmohan Singh resigns over the alleged involvement of his office in the irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks and 2G spectrum.