Agencies
New Delhi, Apr 24:
The NDA's agitation on price rise issue rocked Parliament on Thursday with both the Houses being adjourned for two hours as opposition disrupted proceedings over UPA government's "failure" to contain inflation.
In the Lok Sabha, trouble started during the Question Hour itself when members of BJP and its allies, who had formed a
human chain outside the Parliament complex to protest over the issue, trooped in the House shouting slogans denouncing the government.
The atmosphere in the House was surcharged as a visibly angry Speaker Somnath Chatterjee pulled up BSP member Brajesh Pathak for his behaviour while asking a question to Fertiliser Minister Ramvilas Paswan on availability of fertiliser in Uttar Pradesh.
Chanting slogans such as "Down with incompetent government", "Government which cannot check price spiral needs to be changed", the opposition members stormed the well and were in no mood to listen to the Speaker.
In the Rajya Sabha, similar scenes were witnessed as BJP members walked in just five minutes before noon and started shouting slogans in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Parliament complex saw NDA members led by LK Advani and George Fernandes sporting banners against price rise and forming a human chain to focus on government's "incompetence" to tackle the situation.
Govt should quit: Advani
The BJP-led NDA on Thursday formed a human chain in Parliament complex to protest price rise while its leader L K Advani asked the government to quit and go for elections if it was unable to control inflation. "If you can't stop price rise then you should quit and the country should go to polls," Advani said, adding that the Opposition was "ready" for the challenge.
Alleging that the government had "failed" on the issue, Advani joined NDA members including leaders like Rajnath Singh, George Fernandes and Manohar Joshi, in forming the chain.
The issue had its echo in both Houses as the agitated Opposition raised vociferous slogans seeking to expose the UPA's "aam aadmi" plank.
Taking a dig at the Left parties and key outside supporters to the government, Advani said that the coalition was "helpless" as its two major allies have diametrically opposite economic and foreign policies.
Claiming that such a coalition cannot work, Advani dubbed the UPA as an "opportunistic get-together" to keep the NDA out. Talking to reporters later, Advani said that BJP ruled states would take effective steps to ensure foodgrains availability at reasonable rates for the poor.
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