Date:13/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/13/stories/2006121302281400.htm

National

Rajya Sabha adjourned twice over Singur

Special Correspondent

BJP, Trinamool MPs wanted to raise the issue

Normal business in post-lunch session

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice on Tuesday after Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress MPs demanded that they be allowed to raise the issue of land acquisition by Tata Motors at Singur in West Bengal.

Deputy Chairman K. Rehman Khan pointed out that zero hour had not been scheduled for the day, but members from both parties kept up a chant against the acquisition of land.

The simultaneous calls from the Congress and Left party members that they be permitted to speak on a Gujarat issue forced the first adjournment soon after the end of question hour. The BJP and Trinamool members were unyielding when the House reassembled 15 minutes later, leading to an adjournment till 2 p.m. However, the Rajya Sabha transacted normal business in post-lunch session.

Among those demanding to be heard were Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress), Rashid Alvi, Santosh Bagrodia (both Congress), Vinay Katiyar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sushma Swaraj, S.S. Ahluwalia, Maya Singh, Hema Malini, Rudra Narayan Pani (all BJP) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).