Minister's bio-break forces brief adjournment of Rajya Sabha proceedings

A short bio-break by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday forced a brief adjournment of proceedings in the Rajya Sabha as opposition MPs protested no presence from the government.

It happened when the House was discussing private member business, usually a low turnout affair as individual MPs bring laws that they feel Parliament should enact. In almost all cases, such bills are turned down by the House.

According to the procedure, a cabinet minister is present during such a discussion. On Friday, Law and Telecom Minister Prasad was on roster duty.

Twenty minutes into the business, during which MPs only table their legislative bills, Prasad stepped out of the chamber.

This was the time TMC's Derek O'Brien was to table his The Elder Persons (Care and Protection) Bill calling for a national policy to ensure the preservation of rights and provision of specialised care to senior citizens.

Congress member B K Hariprasad pointed out there was no cabinet minister present in the House. This prompted Derek to stop midway, citing rules.

"I am raising the bill but my colleagues are saying the minister is not here... I do not want such an important bill for elders to become infructuous," he said, demanding adjournment of the proceedings till the minister is present in the House.

He got support from Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, Javed Ali Khan of the Samajwadi Party and some other members.

In an attempt to pacify the agitating members, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh stated that the minister has gone for a washroom break and would be back soon.

V Muraleedharan, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, also made a statement informing about the short break taken by Prasad but this was not enough to pacify the agitating members.

"The minister was here till just now. He has gone for the washroom, he would be coming back," Muraleedharan said.

The Deputy Chairman also tried to pacify the members saying "I have been informed that he has gone for washroom for 5 minutes. He would come back."