Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Monday as Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena stalled proceedings protesting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks concerning minorities.
The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar right from the word go as the determined Opposition demanded an apology from the prime minister. Both the Houses were adjourned for the day without transacting any business after seeing three adjournments in the pre-lunch session.
Trouble began in the Rajya Sabha soon after proceedings commenced while in the Lok Sabha it started after Telangana Rashtra Samithi supreme K Chandrasekhar Rao took oath and Speaker Somnath Chatterjee greeted a Parliamentary delegation from Namibia
Chanting slogans like Pradhan Mantri maafi maango (prime minister should apologise) and Desh ko mat banto (don't divide the nation), BJP and Shiv Sena members stormed the well of Lok Sabha. Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunshi was heard alleging that the BJP was attempting to divide the country.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition V K Malhotra demanded suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the issue.
"I have the right to seek suspension of the Question Hour," Malhotra said as other BJP members demanded an apology from the prime minister and waved copies of his speech.
Malhotra was unrelenting when the Speaker said he could raise the matter after the Question Hour.
It was no different story in the Upper House with Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh trying to raise the issue the moment the House assembled for the day. He was disallowed by Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat despite party leaders Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha as also Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi demanding that the leader of the Opposition be allowed to make a statement.
BJP members trooped into the well seeking prime minister's apology for his remarks made at the National Development Council. They alleged that Congress was playing vote-bank politics.
In the din, presiding officers of both the Houses ordered laying of the papers listed for the day before adjourning them till Tuesday.
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