Parliament adjourns till noon over 2G issue

NEW DELHI: The impasse over the demand for JPC probe into 2G spectrum allocation disrupted the Question Hour in Parliament for the 22nd day today as both government and the opposition stuck to their positions.

Opposition members, mainly from the BJP and SP, trooped into the well in Lok Sabha as soon as Speaker Meira Kumar completed the obituary references to victims of the Parliament attack nine years ago.

The opposition members were raising slogans like "We want JPC", and "Form JPC or quit power".

All the while, members from the ruling parties shouted, "We want PAC".

After the din continued for five minutes, Kumar adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Earlier, when the House met for the day, she said, "Nine years ago, in a brazen attack, terrorists sought to unsuccessfully hit at the very edifice of our democratic polity, the Parliament of India."

Soon after Rajya Sabha paid homage to those killed in the Parliament attack, Opposition BJP and AIADMK members trooped into the well demanding JPC probe into irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation.

"We want JPC," they shouted even as Chairman Hamid Ansari took up the first listed question of the day.

With members not relenting, he adjourned the House till 1200 hours.

Earlier, Ansari paid tributes to nine security personnel who made supreme sacrifices fighting the terrorists when they attacked Parliament.

"December 13, 2010 marks the 9th anniversary of dastardly attack on Parliament by terrorists...the House recalls heroic deeds and supreme sacrifices by our security personnel who laid down their lives ... while preventing entry of terrorists in Parliament," he said.

"The deceased set an example of supreme sacrifice. The House pays homage and condemns the incident in unequivocal terms," he said, adding the country has firm resolve to fight terrorism.

The members observed silence in both Houses as a mark of respect to those killed in the attack.