By IANS,
New Delhi : The Lok Sabha was Monday adjourned for the day after repeated disruptions by opposition members over the controversial allocation of 2G telecom spectrum, as well as the alleged involvement of a central minister in arms dealing.
The lower house was adjourned twice before it re-assembled at 2 p.m. for a short duration discussion on caste-based killings.
But even as some members started speaking, AIADMK members went towards the speaker’s podium demanding the resignation of Communications and Information Technology Minister A. Raja for his alleged financial impropriety in the allocation of 2G spectrum.
The members of the Left parties also trooped towards the podium over media reports that a central minister was involved in arms dealing.
Amidst the din, the house passed three bills which included Employees State Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2009, and Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2010, moved by Labour Minister Malikarjun Kharge.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad moved the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2010, which was also passed by the house.
When the house assembled at 11 a.m., members of the AIADMK, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) walked towards the speaker’s podium, raising slogans and brandishing copies of a national newspaper that carried reports of alleged financial irregularities on the part of Raja in the 2G spectrum allocation.
Speaker Meira Kumar tried to conduct the proceedings amidst the din but failed and adjourned the house till noon.
When the Lok Sabha re-assembled at noon, members of the AIADMK, the RJD, the SP and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) again marched towards the speaker’s podium on the same issue. AIADMK MPs demanded that Raja, who belongs to the DMK, step down over the allegations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) MPs supported the AIADMK’s demand but did not join the protests.
The spectrum scam created a furore in parliament after a newspaper report on the tapping of phone conversations between a high-profile lobbyist and public relations firm owner and Raja alleged wrongdoing in the allocation of 2G spectrum.
SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad, meanwhile, led their MPs in separate protests to demand a caste-based census.
The Left and JD-U MPs added to the chaos in the house as they opposed the introduction of the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010. Amidst the ruckus, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal introduced the bill, which proposes to allow foreign education providers set up campuses in India and offer degrees.
As the ruckus continued, the speaker adjourned the house till 2 p.m.