Lok Sabha adjourned for day over price rise

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) The Lok Sabha was Monday adjourned for the day as opposition members, led by the Congress, created a ruckus over the issue of price rise, especially the hike in railway fares and LPG cylinder prices.

As soon as the house assembled for the day, opposition members belonging to the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party went near the speaker's podium and started shouting slogans against price rise.

The opposition members raised slogans against price rise, rail fare hike and increase in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinder.

The din continued despite Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's requests and the house was adjourned first till 12 noon and then again till 2 p.m.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen standing in the aisle, while his party colleagues Jyotiraditya Scindia, Deepinder Singh Hooda, K.C. Venugopal and several others were near the speaker's podium.

Senior members of the ruling dispensation, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were present in the house as was Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was seated in the front row of opposition benches.

When the house reassembled at 2 p.m., the Congress party wanted a discussion under adjournment motion on the issue of price rise.

A discussion on the adjournment motion requires voting and amounts to censure of the government if it is passed.

Deputy Leader of Congress Amarinder Singh said people were starving and "food prices are rising at terrible levels...how can the common man survive? We don't want only a discussion but an answer from the government. We want voting in the house because it is an important issue".

However, Mahajan ruled against it and allowed a short-duration discussion on the issue, which was vociferously opposed by the opposition parties led by the Congress.

In between, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu got up and said that the government was ready for any kind of discussion on the issue.

Amid further din over the issue, Mahajan adjourned the house till Tuesday.