LS proceedings washed out on opening day

Proceedings in Lok Sabha were washed out today on the first working day of the Monsoon session with an aggressive Opposition seeking removal of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje in connection with Lalit Modi row.
Members of Congress and Left repeatedly stormed the Well, carrying placards and raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government for not acting against Swaraj and Raje even as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan warned of action over the "unruly" behaviour.
Displaying black ribbons, Congress members repeatedly raised placards with slogans such as:'Bade Modi meherban, toh chhote Modi pehelwan' (a Hindi idiom meaning that a small person is strong if supported by a powerful person) and 'PM chuppi todo' (PM, break your silence) and 'Modi ji 56 inch dikhao, Sushma, Raje ko turant hatao' (Show your 56 inch chest by removing Swaraj and Raje.

Members of the RJD and NCP were seen supporting the opposition demand.
TRS members also contributed to the uproar by raising the demand for a separate High Court for Telangana. At present, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana share the same High Court, two years after the bifurcation.
Mahajan disapproved of the action of the protesting members and warned that "in the event of disorderly conduct, I would be constrained to initiate appropriate disciplinary action against erring members".

She said she has always provided "adequate" opportunity to all sections of the House to raise matters of topical interest and hoped that all the members would adhere to the set norms of etiquette and standards of behaviour.

This added fuel to the fire and immediately Congress and Left members again stormed the Well while those from the TRS trooped into the Well in support of their demand for a separate High Court for Telangana.
This forced the Speaker to adjourn the House for two hours, a few minutes after noon. The House witnessed similar scenes when it met at 2 PM, when Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai adjourned the House for the day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House for some time in the morning. Swaraj was sitting in the front row along with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

The only work done was the green signal given to a motion seeking extension of the term of the Joint Committee of Parliament on Land Acquisition Bill.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha was adjourned twice -- first immdediately after 11 am and then at 12 noon.