Lok Sabha shut for yet another day after ruckus

The Opposition on Tuesday placated Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for almost 15 minutes to have the suspension of six young Congress MPs revoked. The Congress MP were suspended for their unbecoming act of throwing paper balls at her and entered the well with slogans when she did not relent forcing adjournment of the House for the second day without any business.

She quickly adjourned the House, citing the new President's swearing-in an hour later when Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge insisted to speak on his adjournment motion during the question hour and told him in the afternoon when the House resumed that she could allow discussion under any other rule but not through adjournment motion, provided there is no "hangama."

Seizing the opportunity, he first urged her to expunge some BJP MPs' slur on Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, whom she had allowed to speak, as anti-Dalit and then appealed to her to revoke suspension of the party MPs to create an atmosphere for smooth running of the House. His young colleagues had become emotional and that happens in Parliament, he argued. Congress President Sonia Gandhi could be seen watching intensely the short exchanges that followed.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asserted that Monday's incident cannot be accepted as permissible parliamentary conduct. He challenged Kharge to say if what happened was justified as a parliamentary practice.

Trinamul's Prof Saugata Roy tried to plead that nobody would justify what happened but the Speaker should show magnanimity on an important day like this when the country got the new President. "Your kindness has been put to test," he said and praised the Speaker for always being generous to allow the members raise all issues. The Speaker appeared moved as she said "give me time to think."