Parliament remained paralysed for the 18th working day today with no solution in sight to the impasse on the Opposition demand for JPC, raising the spectre of the entire winter session going waste.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar right from the time they assembled, first leading to an hour-long adjournment and then for the day.
Members belonging to BJP, AIADMK, SP and other parties put up a show of unity in demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the alleged 2G spectrum scam and trooped into the well in both Houses, raising slogans.
Non-NDA Opposition members, including the Left, had earlier staged a sit-in in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue to protest government’s refusal to heed to their demand.
They carried placards, one of which read ‘Accept the demand for JPC. Allow Parliament to function to discuss burning issues like price rise’
In the din, a crucial bill to protect women against sexual harassment at workplaces was introduced by Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath in the Lok Sabha.
In the Upper House, a bill to declare the Bangalore-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences as an institution of national importance was introduced by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, amid vociferous slogan-shouting by Opposition members.
Repeated pleas by the Presiding Officers of both Houses went unheeded, forcing their adjournment for the day.
Earlier in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar made several unsuccessful attempts to restore order but adjourned the House till noon.
When the Rajya Sabha assembled, opposition members were on their feet in support of their demand. But as the din continued, Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House till noon.
The winter session that began on November 9 has remained paralysed since November 10 with opposition persisting with the demand for JPC, virtually washing out all working days.
The session is slated to end on December 13 and the government has ruled out truncating it despite the logjam.
