LS adjourned after fight over censure

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Tuesday afternoon after the Opposition and the Treasury benches argued over a censure motion against a former Lok Sabha Secretary General.

The House censured Subhash Kashyap for speaking against the Speaker in a TV programme. Four BJP members of the Privilege Committee resigned against the censure, saying the step was against democratic values and Parliamentary proceedings.

The committee had found Kashyap guilty of "imputing motives to the Speaker in discharging his duties and casting reflections on his impartiality''.

BJP spokesperson V K Malhotra said his party intends to bring a no confidence motion against the Speaker. The House was adjourned twice when BJP members shouted slogans against the UPA government and the Treasury Benches shouted back.

During an interview last August, Kashyap agreed with Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Bannerji that Speaker Somnath Chaterjee had been partisan in disallowing her notice of adjournment motion.

Kashyap on Tuesday said he had done nothing wrong. "I did not indulge in any impropriety. I did not make any statement with any motive regarding the Honourable Speaker. I stand by every word that I spoke in that TV interview and I have no regrets for it. If the House has decided to censure me, I think this is the small price I have to pay for speaking the truth. I will continue speaking the truth," he said.

Malhotra, in the House, alleged the Committee's report not been discussed at all and suddenly "we see in the agenda it has been listed as a motion to be moved".

The four BJP members who resigned from the committee said they had asked the Speaker to withdraw the report but it was “hurriedly and without notice” placed on the agenda

The Left parties accused the BJP of scuttling the Lok Sabha and "absolute parliamentary fascism". The sole aim of the party had been to "destroy democracy and protect an RSS card holder".

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of the Opposition L K Advani were present in the House when the motion was adopted while Congress President Sonia Gandhi came minutes before the over three-month long budget session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die.

(With agency inputs)