Parliament adjourned Until Friday, MPs accused of 'finishing democracy'

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Shortly before Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was to table the Economic Survey for this fiscal in the Lok Sabha Thursday, both houses were adjourned until Friday as opposition MPs disrupted the proceedings, much to the anguish of the chair.
"You are working overtime to finish democracy in this country. I am sorry about it. There are so many notices for discussions. The president's address is slated for discussion today. These important matters cannot be discussed. With great sorrow and sadness, I am adjourning the house. Let the country decide what is to be done," Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said minutes after the house met at 11 a.m. However later on it was adjourned untill Friday.

The MPs of the opposition as well as the United national Progressive Alliance (UNPA) were demanding the waiving of loans for farmers.

Chatterjee had warned the disrupting MPs Wednesday that he would take action against those who came to the well. "Give me their names," he told his officers.

MPs of the Samajwadi Party, People's Democratic Party (PDP), Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were in the well of the house, shouting slogans like "waive off the loan".

In the upper house, the MPs shouted "shame on the UPA government". Senior BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj and S.S. Ahluwalia joined the shouting brigade but did not come to the well of the house.