Rajya Sabha adjourned for day amid ruckus

The Rajya Sabha was on Wednesday adjourned for the day amid ruckus without transacting any business for third day in a row.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien adjourned the House for the day, minutes after it met at 2 p.m. as the agitating opposition, TDP and AIADMK members gathered near the Chair's podium, shouting slogans and flaunting placards.

The opposition has been demanding the extradition of diamontaire Nirav Modi who is at the centre of an over Rs 12,600 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been demanding special financial assistance for Andhra Pradesh, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) members have been agitating over the Cauvery water disopute and demanding setting up of a Cauvery water management board.

Kurien asked the members to go back to their seats so that he could take up the listed business item.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said over the din that the government was ready to discuss "all issues, including the PNB fraud as it started only in their (UPA government) time".

However, the agitating MPs did not relent and a minute later Kurien adjourned the House for the day.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed a similar scene in the morning due to which Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House till 2 p.m.

The Budget session will conclude on April 6.

--IANS

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