Tainted RJD team gives Opp a reason to stall Parliament

Slogan shouting BJP members prevented Singh from speaking and, after 25 minutes of heated exchange of charges, the the House was adjourned for the day.

The exchanges were far bitter in the Lok Sabha because Speaker Somnath Chatterjee refused to adjourn the House and conducted business for nearly 45 minutes despite slogan shouting by NDA members.

That BJP members were spoiling for a fight was evident from the very beginning when they began chanting Jai Shri Ram, a slogan not heard in the House for some years.

After four remaining members were administered oath, the Speaker called out the name of George Fernandes who had sought prior permission to make a statement.

The minute Fernandes rose to speak, RJD leader Raghunath Jha was also on his feet. This prompted the BJP to start a slanging match with RJD and not much could be heard in the din.

Within minutes, a whole contingent of BJP and Shiv Sena MPs trooped into the well of the House, shouting slogans such as ‘‘Daagi mantri hatao, Desh bachao, Manmohan Singh Shame Shame, and Chaara chor, Khazana chor, gaddi chhodo.’’

Leader of Opposition L K Advani initially made attempts to dissuade his flock from entering the well but soon gave up. Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had disapproved the growing practice of ‘‘jumping into the well’’ while felicitating the new Speaker last Friday, sat impassively through the pandemonium.

While the sloganeering continued, the Speaker called upon various listed members to make their submissions under Rule 377. His repeated requests ‘‘with folded hands’’ to Opposition MPs to return to their seats made no impact.

He then called on Pawan Kumar Bansal to move the motion of thanks to the President’s address. Raising his voice above the din, Bansal made a 15-minute speech attacking the NDA government.

He was heard saying: ‘‘By calling for early elections, they pleaded for euthanasia and the people have granted it.’’ He also said the BJP had been voted out because its policies had ‘‘bypassed the common man.’’

Seconding the motion, Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia managed to make a forceful speech and appeared completely unfazed by the slogan-shouting all around him.

His speech, peppered with tributes to Rajiv Gandhi’s ‘‘vision’’ for the 21st century and a sharp attack on the BJP’s communal and anti-poor record in office, was cheered by several colleagues including Sonia Gandhi who repeatedly thumped her desk.

While Congress members largely remained quiet throughout, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi was seen going to RJD members asking them to calm down. But even 40 minutes of loud sloganeering did not tire out the Opposition, with a number of MPs led by Mamata Banerjee gesticulating furiously at the Speaker.

Chatterjee first adjourned the House till 2 pm. He adjourned it for the day a minute after it reassembled when the NDA made it clear that they were in no mood to relent.