Parliament adjourned again amidst ‘coalgate’ din

Parliament was prevented from functioning for the fourth consecutive day on Friday as the opposition continued its uproar in both Houses, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the allegedly irregular allocations of coal blocks to private companies.

There is no sign of improvement on the horizon either. Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde met Bharatiya Janata Party leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj asking her party to soften its stand, but she reportedly said that the BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance coalition will not bend.

As soon as the Houses convened for the day, opposition members rushed to the wells in both chambers raising slogans against the Prime Minister.

In the Lok Sabha, BJP and Shiv Sena members crowded the well raising slogans against the government extending "undue favours" to private firms to the tune of Rs1.86 lakh crore in coal block allocation, as suggested by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India in its report.

Congress members were seen flashing copies of the day's 'list of business', indicating they favoured continuance of Question Hour. But the opposition was having none of it. Speaker Meira Kumar valiantly sought to take up Question Hour but nothing could be heard in the din.

Mehboob Beg of the National Conference was seen displaying a placard that read, 'Don't Stall Parliament, Stall Declining Economic Growth Instead'.