Tempers run high in Rajya Sabha

Tempers ran high in the Rajya Sabha again Tuesday as the house was disrupted and papers torn and thrown near the chairman's podium.

The upper house, which has been witnessing protests over the proposed formation of Telangana and issue of Tamil fishermen, saw its first adjournment within minutes of the house meeting at 11 am.

Chairman M Hamid Ansari first adjourned the upper house for 10 minutes and then till 12 noon.

As the house met again, members from Telugu Desam Party C M Ramesh and Y S Choudhary went near the chairman's podium again, raising slogans of "Save Telangana".

Congress member K V P Ramachandra Rao flashed a placard, demanding a united Andhra Pradesh.

Members from the DMK and the AIADMK pressed for raising the issue of Tamil fishermen being attacked and arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

While DMK members were near the chairman's podium holding placards, tempers ran high as AIADMK leader V Maitreyan tore to bits official papers of the Rajya Sabha which carried the names of members disrupting the house.

Ramachandra Rao, Chowdhary, Ramesh, Maitreyan along with AIADMK leaders A W Rabi Bernard, K R Arjunan, R Lakshmanan and DMK leaders Kanimozhi, T M Selvaganapathi, and S Thangavelu were mentioned in the bulletin for disrupting the house.

Ugly scenes were also witnessed in the upper house Monday, when Maitreyan tore to bits official papers, and tried to pull the chairman's mike.

In the din, two bills, the HIV AIDS (Prevenetion and Control) Bill, 2014, and the Constituional (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which will amend the constitution to modify list of the Scheduled Castes in some states, were introduced.

The house was then adjourned till 2 pm