Parliament adjourned for the day

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha was on Monday adjourned for the day after the Opposition created an uproar over terrorism and price rise.

 

The House was adjourned about 40 minutes after the Monsoon Session began.

 

The Opposition stormed the well shouting slogans against the government and repeated pleas by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for restoring order were not heeded to.

 

Opposition members accused the government of failing to control terrorism and price rise.

 

Soon after Chatterjee read out obituary references, Bharatiya Janata Party deputy leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra raised the issue of price rise, saying the people of country were on the streets, protesting against the government's failure to check inflation.

 

The most affected were the common man and the poor, and the government was not showing any concern towards their plight.

 

He referred to a letter written by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the price rise issue.

 

Malhotra demanded that the Question Hour be suspended and the discussion be allowed to be taken up.

 

At this Chatterjee said that he had conceded to their demand for an adjournment motion that would be taken up at noon, after Question Hour, and he could not allow two discussions on the same day.

 

The NDA had announced that they would press for an adjournment motion on the July 11 Mumbai blasts on the opening day, and would not allow any other business to be transacted if their demand was rejected.

 

Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad, seated in the front row with Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, was seen jeering at the Opposition while waving the controversial book authored by BJP leader Jaswant Singh, A Call to Honour.

 

The newly-released book gives details about the then NDA government's handling of the 1999 crisis surrounding the hijack of Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in Afghanistan which ended with the release of three dreaded terrorists.

 

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day as a mark of respect to sitting Nationalist Congress Party member Vasant Chavan, who died earlier this month.

 

Before adjourning the House, Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat described Chavan as a noted parliamentarian, dedicated social worker and able administrator.

 

Earlier, the House condemned the Mumbai blasts and the grenade attacks in Srinagar and observed a minute’s silence in the memory of the dead.

 

Deploring the Mumbai blasts, Shekhawat said the killing of so many innocent persons has shocked the nation.

 

He expressed concern over the grenade attacks on tourists in Srinagar on the day of the Mumbai blast, that killed nine persons and injured 33.

 

"Those who intend to harm this nation and destabilise our society will never succeed in their evil design", he said adding "their despicable acts can be neutralised by our people by showing unity and will to resist".

 

As many as 184 people were killed and over 840 persons injured in the serial blasts on July 11, he observed.

 

The House also mourned the largescale devastation caused by the earthquake in Indonesia in May and the Tsunami in that country which had reportedly caused the death of about 400 people.

 

"The House expresses its heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the people of Indonesia who have lost their near and dear ones in these tragedies and pray for the early recovery of those who were injured", Shekhawat said.

 

The House mourned the death of former member K Gopalan.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present in the House.