Aiyar jibe at BJP angers party

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar drew BJP’s ire in Rajya Sabha when he said that he was least interested in listening to the speech of a BJP member on vote on account, prompting the Chair to adjourn the House amid uproar.

During the Zero Hour, deputy chairman P J Kurien allowed Aiyar to ask a question, which was opposed by BJP members. Kurien asked Aiyar whether he yielded to allow others to speak, to which he said he had no objection and he can ask his question later.

As the House got ready to initiate discussion on Vote on Account, Kurien asked to “reduce the discussion to two hours from four hours,” which was opposed by BJP members including Piyush Goyal who was given a chance to speak on the issue. When it was agreed that discussion will take place as per schedule, Aiyar said, “You had given me the chance to ask a question. I have no desire to listen to his speech.”

This led to protest by BJP members who demanded an apology from Aiyar. HTC