Rajya Sabha sees ruckus over different issues

New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha saw ruckus over a variety of issues Monday as members demanded a debate on the coal allocation scam, the leakage to the media of the draft JPC report on 2G allocation, and cases violence against women and girls.

As the upper house met, soon after the oath taking and obituary references, Chairman M. Hamid Ansari announced that there were eight notices seeking suspension of question hour, and admitted AIADMK leader V. Maitreyan's notice on the CBI's role in the coal block allocation scam.

This led to protests from other members who questioned why their notices were not accepted.

The notices were on a variety of issues, including the leakage of the draft JPC report on 2G spectrum, heckling of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Delhi, and the cases of violence against women.

Chairman Ansari said Maitreyan's notice was accepted as it came first, but the members refused to be pacified. The house was adjourned for 15 minutes.

When the house resumed, members got involved in an argument on whether the question hour should be adjourned at all, for the discussion.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said the debate should be taken up later but opposition members did not agree.

After a long series of arguments and counter-arguments, and after the question hour was over, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien adjourned the upper house till 12.30 p.m., as members continued to raise their pitch.