SP member threatens Nitish, Speaker adjourns House

But all hell broke loose when, following a wordy battle between Kumar and SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, one of his camp followers, Devendra Singh Yadav, moved menacingly towards the Minister.

The agitated SP member from Etah rushed towards the treasury benches but was held back by BJP members who formed a cordon round Kumar, who was seated in the second row.

What provoked the fracas was Mulayam Singh’s insistence on speaking even after the Speaker had moved on to the next item on the agenda. Repeated entreaties to the Samajwadi leader that the issue was closed proved futile.

At this juncture, Nitish Kumar intervened, reminding Mulayam Singh Yadav that as a senior leader he had to maintain some discipline and could not speak just when he felt like.

A shouting match ensued, with a visibly angry Mulayam Singh asking Nitish Kumar to back off and not teach him how to behave. Taking this as a signal, all the Samajwadi MPs rose in unison, crowding about the well of the House, shouting slogans, taking the decibel level in the House to a new high.

In the midst of the uproar, the Samajwadi MP from Etah, advanced towards Nitish Kumar, before he was pushed back by treasury members.

Even as shocked MPs watched, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan and Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan were seen asking members to return to their seats. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajapayee, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and other senior MPs remained mute spectators as parliamentary behaviour touched the nadir.

Later Minister of State for Railways Digvijay Singh approached Mulayam Singh and pleaded with folded hands. The Samajwadi leader refused to relent.

Meanwhile, BJP members added to the din asking the Speaker to take note of the Samajwadi member’s threatening posture. With the scene in the House turning ugly, the Speaker adjourned the House for an hour.

When the House reassembled, it was a grim Balayogi who delivered a stern message, denouncing the scenes that the House had witnessed in the strongest terms.

He referred to the "ugly" behaviour by the Samajwadi MP which went against the "established norms of decent parliamentary behaviour". Such incidents were not only a reflection on the Parliamentary conduct of the member concerned but also eroded the dignity of the whole House, the Speaker pointed out.

He also had a word for Nitish Kumar as well, saying all members, including Ministers, should address the chair and exercise restraint while participating in discussions in the House.