Samajwadi Party members on Friday disrupted Parliament proceedings over a Central Bureau of Investigation enquiry against party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The SP leaders alleged the enquiry was a political conspiracy hatched by the Congress ahead of the Assembly polls.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day at noon after two brief adjournments with SP members storming the well of the House, shouting anti-government slogans and terming the CBI as the Congress Bureau of Investigation. The SP has been accusing the Congress of using the CBI for settling political scores.
It was almost a similar story in the Rajya Sabha, which saw two adjournments in the pre-lunch sitting.
The matter cropped up as soon as the two Houses met for the day and the Question Hour got derailed in the din over the issue in the Lok Sabha.
In the Upper House, SP leader Amar Singh was seen displaying a CD of an alleged conversation between a TV reporter and the person who filed a PIL against Yadav, charging him with having disproportionate assets, following which the Supreme Court ordered a preliminary inquiry by CBI against Yadav and his family.
Amid the uproar, the House was adjourned within five minutes till 1200 hrs. AIDMK and TDP members also went into the well. All the while Congress MPs kept countering SP members demanding that the Chief Minister should resign in view of the apex court's order. The presence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha encouraged party MPs, especially those from UP, to launch a counter-attack.
"Remove Mulayam, save UP," the MPs, including Rajesh Mishra and Jitin Prasad, shouted.
Amid noisy scenes, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee announced that the scheduled sitting for Monday (March 5) has been cancelled. Holi is being celebrated on Sunday. Members who wished the Speaker on the occasion of Holi greeted the announcement.
The speaker, who has been witnessing disruptions day after day, however, made known his displeasure over the members' behaviour.
The first few days of Budget session were rocked by the Quattrocchi issue and Parliament witnessed deliberations only on Thursday after the government and the opposition reached some understanding.
"Yahan kaam hone se mubarak de sakte hain (such greeting is acceptable only if some work is done here)," Chatterjee said.
As the din continued, the speaker adjourned the House for the day after ordering the laying of papers listed for the day and members giving submissions on the business for the next week. "I am expressing great agony. The House is not functioning day after day. People are criticising us. I again appeal to all sides to extend their cooperation," he observed.
In Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan announced that the next sitting would be on Tuesday. He adjourned the House till 14.30 hrs in the din.
