Parliament stuck for second day

Parliament could not function on Tuesday for the second day of the month-long second phase of the budget session due to pandemonium on more than one issue and not the PNB scam alone.

Members of the Telugu Desam Party, an ally of BJP in the government, and other Andhra Pradesh parties were in the well of the two Houses for special status and central funds to the state while the AIADMK members joined them to press for a Cauvery water management board. The Trinamul Congress and Left members joining the Congress to raise slogans on the PNB scam.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day 12 minutes past 12, washing out a discussion admitted on “alleged systemic irregularities in banking sector over the years” as sought by two Kerala MPs — N K Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party and K C Venugopal of the Congress.

The Andhra and AIADMK members were in the well raising slogans with placards even five minutes before the Lok Sabha re-assembled and Speaker Sumitra Mahajan carried on tabling of reports by ministers and members amid the deafening slogans.

The Rajya Sabha was shut down at 3.30 pm after three adjournments even while a discussion permitted on Monday on “fraud in public sector banks” remained hanging as the slogans from the well prevented any business.

The day began with the Congress MPs led by party chief Rahul Gandhi stagding a protest near Mahatma Gandhi’’s statue in the Parliament complex over the PNB fraud and then taking the protest to both the Houses, raising slogans for answers from the Prime Minister.