RS adjourns amid protests on various issues

Rajya Sabha witnessed another washout for the seventh day on Tuesday with ruling allies and Opposition continued their protest on various issues even as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu remarked people were getting impatient with frequent disruptions.

The House could function for a few minutes in both morning and afternoon sessions with Naidu and Deputy Chairman P J Kurien appealing to MPs to allow functioning of the House.

Ruling ally TDP was protesting on special category status for Andhra Pradesh while DMK and AIADMK wanted setting up of Cauvery Management Group. Congress and Trinamool Congress wanted an adjournment motion to discuss the Rs 12,967.84 crore Punjab National Bank scam.

Soon after the customary laying of papers was done in the morning session, Naidu appealed to MPs to allow functioning of the House because "people are being impatient and (adjournments and protests) show Parliament in poor light". He said the government was ready for discussion and he has allowed a short duration discussion on PNB scam, but this was not acceptable to the Opposition.

However, raising a point of order, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said his notice under Rule 168 was in order and "if my motion is not accepted, the principle of natural justice will be denied". As MPs prepared to protest, Naidu adjourned the House.

When the House re-assembled at 2 PM, the MPs rushed to the Well raising slogans and displaying placards. Kurien, who was in the Chair in the afternoon session, wanted to take up a calling attention motion on strategic storage of crude oil and petroleum products but the MPs continued to protest.

"This is not fair. If this is the way MPs are behaving, I will adjourn the House. She (a TDP member) is showing a placard which is against the rule. This is misbehaviour. I don't agree with this," he said and adjourned the House.