Congress MPs raise placards against price rise, Lok Sabha adjourned

Opposition MPs from the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Left parties trooped into the well of the House after the Speaker refused to allow Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to raise an “important issue”. Sources said Chowdhury wanted to raise the issue of Enforcement Directorate raids in connection with the National Herald case.

The Speaker asked Opposition MPs to return to their seats, saying that Chowdhury can be allowed to speak in Zero Hour but the Opposition insisted that he be allowed to speak before Question Hour.

The Speaker, however, took up Question Hour. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) MP N K Premachandran, who was scheduled to raise the first question, was called but he said that the leader of the Opposition wanted to raise an issue and he should be allowed. “The House is not in order,” he said.

The Speaker then called BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to ask his question. Opposition MPs started shouting slogans but the Speaker let Question Hour run.

Although the MPs, including senior leaders of the Congress and DMK, came into the well of the House, the Speaker did not adjourn proceedings.

At 11.30 am, Chowdhury was seen talking to his party colleagues Manickam Tagore and Jothimani S. Both of them stepped out of the House and returned with placards with slogans against price rise. Chowdhury was the first leader who picked the placard and raised it. The Speaker immediately adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

On Monday, while withdrawing the suspension of four MPs, Tagore, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and T N Prathapan, the Speaker had obtained an assurance from Opposition parties that they would not bring placards into the House and had warned that he would take action against those who did.