Lok Sabha adjourned for lack of quorum

NEW DELHI: Business in Lok Sabha collapsed this evening for want of quorum, the first such development in the new House.

As the House was discussing Private Members Business, today being a Friday, CPI-M member Md Badaruddoza Khan raised the quorum issue when Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) was participating in the discussion on a resolution seeking to implement recommendations of the 'National Commission on Farmers'.

Khan insisted that despite pleas by other members not to do so as there is a convention not to raise the quorum issue during non-government business.

Arjun Charan Sethi, who was in the Chair, ordered ringing of the quorum bells. A few ruling party members were seen going out of the House to fetch members to muster a quorum, but in vain. Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan was present in the House when the farmers' issue was being discussed. For quorum 10 per cent of the total strength of the House should be present, which works out to 55 in the 543-member Lok Sabha.