Parliament stalled for seventh day running

Parliament remained dysfunctional for the seventh day running today, with opposition adamant on its demand for joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe in the 2G spectrum issue, while the Congress tried to out-shout the opposition, insisting on sacking of Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa over corruption charges.
 
Both houses were adjourned for the day without transacting any significant business, as has been the case on all working days since the winter session began on 9 November.

Meanwhile, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee called yet another all-party meeting at 1 pm in an attempt to break the deadlock. However, nobody expects Mukherjee's latest attempt at diplomacy to be more successful than the earlier ones.

 Chaotic scenes were witnessed in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, where an unrelenting opposition trooped to the well raising slogans demanding setting up of a JPC to probe alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum, the conduct of the Commonwealth Games and the Adarsh housing scam in Mumbai.

Congress members countered the opposition onslaught by rushing to the aisles demanding the resignation of Yeddyurappa in connection with the alleged irregularities in land allocations in the state favouring his sons. They were seen waving placards reading 'Punish Yeddyurappa to protect Karnataka from mining mafia, land grabbers', 'Book Bellary Brothers', 'Sack Yeddyurappa'. All the while, the opposition chanted, 'We want JPC' in the well.

Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned question hour minutes after both houses met for the day. Deputy speaker Karia Munda, who was in the chair, barely managed to get official reports placed before the Lok Sabha before the adjournment.

In the Rajya Sabha, official papers were placed before the house amid the din by opposition and Congress members. Deputy chairman K Rahman Khan then adjourned the house till.

The impasse in Parliament continued even after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised two days back that action would be taken against anybody found guilty of any wrong doing in 2G specturm allocation. Singh had appealed to political parties to allow Parliament to function.