BJP protests force Lok Sabha to adjourn for day

New Delhi  :  Continuing protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over coal block allocations Tuesday forced repeated disruptions of both houses of parliament again, with the Lok Sabha being adjourned for the day.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m.

As soon as both houses met at 12 noon after the first adjournment, BJP members were on their feet chanting slogans demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation over the government auditor’s report alleging large scale irregularities in allocating coal blocks.

Ignoring the din, Congress MP P.C. Chacko, who was in the chair in the Lok Sabha, got passed the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Bill 2012. With this, both houses of parliament have cleared the bill, which was earlier passed by the upper house.

The AIADMK members were holding placards protesting the forthcoming visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India on Sep 21 for a Buddhist celebration. “Don’t allow Rajapaksa in Buddha celebrations at Madhya Pradesh on Sep 21,” the placards read.

In the Rajya Sabha, protests by the BJP continued and the house was adjourned till 2 p.m.

Parliament’s monsoon session is set to end on Sep 7. This session has seen nine successive working days lost due to the BJP’s protests.