RS adjourned twice in pre-lunch period

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period on Tuesday amid a continued uproar by the opposition, led by the Congress, over a discussion on the rising fuel prices.

The House was first adjourned till noon for about 40 minutes and then again till 2 pm after opposition members continued to raise slogans and demanded a reduction in the record high prices of petrol and diesel and holding of a discussion on the issue.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has already disallowed the notice moved by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, but Congress members, joined by those of other opposition parties, trooped to the well and persisted with their demand for a discussion.

When the House met at noon, Deputy Chairman Harivansh urged the protesting members to take their seats and allow the Question Hour to function. He said since the chairman has already disallowed the notice, it cannot be reopened.

The opposition members continued to protest and raise slogans against the government.

The deputy chairman continued with the Question Hour, but adjourned the House till 2 pm after the protesting members raised their pitch. Only one question could be taken up amid the din as the proceedings were inaudible. ''I urge all members, including the LOP, that after the chairman has given his decision on the notice, it cannot be reopened. I urge all members to allow the Question Hour to function as it is the members' time,'' the deputy chairman said.

Soon after the listed official papers were laid on the table, MPs from the Congress, DMK, Left parties, BSP and Shiv Sena were on their feet seeking setting aside of the business to take up a discussion on the increase in petrol and diesel prices.

The deputy chairman said notices under rule 267 have been received from Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP), Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Kharge, DMK's Tiruchi Siva and Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi.

The chairman has already given his ruling, rejecting the notices under rule 267, and so his decision cannot be reopened, he said.

The issue of fuel prices, he said, can be deliberated upon during the discussion on the working of ministries and finance bills as well as in the short-duration discussion sought on the issue.

Harivansh asked the members to return to their seats after they entered the well and requested them to allow the Zero Hour to be taken up so that MPs can raise issues of public importance.

Amid the continued slogan-shouting by the opposition, Siva said the issue of a relentless rise in petrol and diesel prices has to be discussed.

Bhupendra Yadav of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) countered him, saying the ruling of the chairman is final and the notice cannot be reopened.

With the ruckus continuing, the deputy chairman adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.

The price of petrol has for the first time crossed the Rs-100 mark in states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and has registered record highs elsewhere. Diesel rates too are at a record high as international oil prices bounced back from last year's lows.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)