Rajya Sabha again disrupted, adjourned

The Rajya Sabha was marred by disruptions again on Thursday as the opposition continued to press for the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and two BJP chief ministers.

Simultaneously, some members from the ruling alliance wrote a letter to Chairman M. Hamid Ansari to take action against Congress MPs disrupting the proceedings.

Congress members trooped near the chairman's podium several times, raising slogans and demanding an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They asked the prime minister to end his silence.

The Congress and some other opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for their links with former IPL chief Lalit Modi, and of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj SIngh Chouhan on the Vyapam scam.

When the house met at 11 on Thursday, there was brief order as Home Minister Rajnath Singh read out a statement on the terror attack in Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir where a Pakistani terrorist was nabbed.

Soon after, the Congress members were on their feet raising slogans, forcing the first adjournment till 12 noon.

At noon, amid similar scenes, Chairman Ansari adjourned the house till 2 p.m.

The post-lunch session was no different.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh moved for a discussion on the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which would amend the Prevention of Corruption Act.

However, a debate could not be taken up due to the uproar.

The opposition members said the bill would not be discussed until the house was in order.

An angry Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "This is the behaviour which led to what happened in the other house... What do they want?

"What does this 'ho ho' mean?" he asked, referring to the noise from the Congress benches. "Go out on the streets and shout if you want."

Amid the din, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien adjourned the house for the day.