Stalemate continues; RS adjourned till Monday, LS till Tuesday

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the 15th day today as the stalemate between the opposition and the government continued for the third week of the second leg of the budget session with ruckus prevailing unabated.

While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day in less than 20 minutes after it assembled this morning, the Lok Sabha was first adjourned till noon and then for the day after laying of the listed papers.

The Lower House also did not take up the no-confidence motion against the government due to the noisy protests. It has been a week since the motion has not been taken up due to the unruly scenes.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had last Friday announced that she had received two notices for the motion but was unable to start the process due to the disruptions.

However before they were adjourned today, both the Houses paid glowing tributes to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, who were hanged on this day 87 years ago by the British rulers.

The Rajya Sabha could not transact any business today, as opposition parties continued to create ruckus, forcing the adjournment of proceedings.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the proceedings for the day but not before expressing anguish over the House not functioning since it met on March 5 when the second part of the budget session started.

Naidu said past disruptions should not be cited to justify the "present wrong" and expressed hope that the government will take the opposition into confidence to ensure that the House functions next week.

He said it was distressing that the Rajya Sabha has not discharged its mandate for three weeks. "People of the country have been let down."
"How long do you want to justify the present wrong, based on the past," he said. "People of the country are aspiring for a change. Should the change not begin from Rajya Sabha."
"I am pained, I am sad," he said, adding he would not like to hazard a guess about what will happen next week or "if you are going to change for better ... If you are not interested in running of this House, it is another matter."