RS adjourns amid uproar

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Tuesday for 45 minutes during Zero Hour following a clash between BJP and Congress members over the Gujarat fake encounter killing issue.

As Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat allowed Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh to speak, agitated Congress members sprang to their feet and wanted the House to first take up the Gujarat issue. This triggered noisy protests from opposition benches with BJP members rushing into the well.

A visibly angry Shekhawat admonished Congress members for not allowing the Leader of the Opposition to speak ever since the House resumed after the recess.

"What message are you giving by not allowing the Leader of the Opposition to speak. This is not done.....This will set a wrong precedent," he said. Shekhawat told members that a discussion on Gujarat and Nandigram would be taken up today itself.

This sparked another bout of protest with the BJP opposing any discussion on Gujarat. As noisy scenes continued, the House was adjourned for 45 minutes.