A day after the no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Mayawati was defeated in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, both Houses of Parliament were on Thursday rocked by the developments in the state.
In the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Congress leader Shivraj Patil demanded the resignation of the Mayawati government on the grounds that the governor's address, the budget and the no-confidence motion were all passed without any discussion, which was in violation of the Constitution.
"The chief minister should resign. If she does not, the Centre should impose President's rule as constitutional machinery in the state has broken down. There is no rule of law and arbitrariness is prevailing," they said.
Yadav also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the charges of corruption against Mayawati, saying development funds allotted to MPs and legislators were being 'looted' on the orders of the chief minister.
Countering the opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Whip V K Malhotra said, "If there is a court case against a chief minister, can the matter be referred to the CBI? The opposition raises what suits them."
Earlier, Speaker Manohar Joshi said Mayawati's letter to the Centre should not be tabled in the House, as it was a 'sensitive matter'.
The speaker said communications between states and the Centre were confidential in nature and, therefore, the government had the right to not make them public.
The speaker also rejected adjournment motions moved by Ramjilal Suman and Akhilesh Singh (both Samajwadi Party) and Sriprakash Jaiswal (Congress) to discuss the developments in the UP assembly.
Half an hour into the pandemonium, Akhilesh Singh threatened to resign from the House saying he had 'lost faith in Parliament'.
As he started writing on a sheet of paper amidst applause and laughter, opposition members, including Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, (Rashtriya Janata Dal) tried to stop him.
The SP member removed his coat, threw it on the table, walked into the well shouting slogans and then tried to go out of the House, but was stopped by the opposition members.
Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed, who was in the Chair, described the behaviour as inappropriate and adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat stood firm in not relenting to the opposition's demand for suspending Question Hour.
He said, "I will not allow the autonomy of states to be infringed upon, even if I have to resign as chairman.
"We must draw a line on how far Parliament can discuss an issue pertaining to state legislatures."
He said a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee has been convened to discuss the issue.
However, the din continued till the House was adjourned for lunch at the scheduled time.
