Parliament adjourned over coal blocks till Tuesday

New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Both houses of parliament were adjourned till Tuesday as the BJP Monday demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the contentious issue of coal blocks allocation.

However, it was agreed at an all-party meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to break the ongoing logjam that the crucial finance bill, along with the railway appropriation bill and the demands for grants of various ministries would be taken up Tuesday, said sources.

The financial bills need to be passed on a priority basis, so that funds can be released to ensure the smooth running of government, the sources said.

Before the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath appealed to the opposition to allow the house to function.

"I appeal to the opposition to let the house function. We have lost five days and I appeal to parties that parliament is the right forum for debate," Kamal Nath said.

Both the houses were first adjourned till noon, then till 2 p.m., and finally for the day.

In the lower house, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members came near the speaker's podium soon after the house resumed after its first adjournment, and raised slogans demanding the prime minister's resignation.

Amid the din, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav raised the issue of Chinese incursion in the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir.

As unruly scenes continued, Congress MP Girija Vyas, who was in the chair, adjourned the house till 2 p.m.

Later, deputy speaker Kariya Munda adjourned the house till Tuesday as the din resumed.

The BJP has sought a statement from the government on the coal blocks allocation and alleged that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and the Prime Minister's Office interfered with the work of the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe into the issue.

Rajya Sabha chairman M. Hamid Ansari earlier adjourned the house till noon after members of the BJP did not allow question hour to commence.

The chairman's repeated requests to allow question hour to proceed went unheeded. As the opposition members did not relent, Ansari adjourned the house till noon.

When the ruckus continued even after the house met again, it was then adjourned till 2 p.m. and later for the day.

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