Coalgate: Rajya Sabha adjourned twice after uproar by BJP

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha today witnessed uproarious scenes over BJP demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over coal allocation issue leading to two adjournments before lunch recess.

Both Question Hour and Zero Hour became the casualty once again as members from BJP stuck to the demand.

As soon as the House assembled for the day, BJP members trooped into the Well shouting slogans against the Prime Minister.

Chairman Hamid Ansari tried to take up the Question Hour and asked Prakash Javadekar (BJP) to ask the first question listed against his name.

"I am asking...isteefa kab denge (when will Prime Minister resign)," Javadekar said as slogan shouting BJP members moved into the Well.

Ansari asked members to allow the Question Hour. "For a change, allow Question Hour to proceed," he pleaded with them.

BJP members also shouted slogans demanding dismissal of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar over the CBI affidavit on the coal scam issue.

As members did not relent, Ansari said, "Under conditions of force majeure, the House is adjourned till 1200 hours."

Force majeure is French word which means an unexpected or uncontrollable event.

Similar scenes were witnessed when the House reassembled as BJP members rushed into the Well. As they shouted slogans like "PM resign" and "shame on PM", Congress member Renuka Chowdhary shouted "shame on BJP" from her seat.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien appealed to members to allow him to take up Zero Hour but they did not relent.

At one point, an exasperated Kurien shot back: "Should I (resign)? What can I do?"

Amid din, the Chair allowed three members to lay their Special Mentions including one by Tiruchi Siva (DMK), who favoured abolition of capital punishment.

As the uproar continued, he adjourned the House till 2 PM.