The Indian Parliament - Yeh Mera India

Here follows a sequel to an earlier article on the functioning of the Parliament of India, the largest Democracy in the World.

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Agitated LS Speaker threatens to quit

Press Trust of India
Posted online: Thursday, August 04, 2005 at 1336 hours IST
Updated: Thursday, August 04, 2005 at 1408 hours IST

New Delhi, August 4: An agitated Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today threatened to quit after a member started walking out of the House saying he was not permitted to ask a supplementary during Question Hour.

CPI-M member Tarit Baran Topdar said despite his request, he was not allowed to ask a supplementary. When he began walking out, his party colleague Mohd Salim dissuaded him from going out of the House.

Reacting to Topdar's action, Chatterjee said, "it is amazing, disturbing... let there be a new Speaker, I shall go out of the House."

Mamata throws papers at Speaker's podium, creates commotion

New Delhi, Aug. 4 (PTI): Firebrand Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, today threw a bunch of papers at the Speaker's podium creating a commotion in the Lok Sabha after she was disallowed to speak on illegal migration of Bangladeshis into West Bengal.

The notice given by Banerjee for an adjournment motion on the issue had been disallowed by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, earlier but she insisted on raising it despite being repeatedly told by Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, who was in the chair, that a four-hour discussion on it had already take place.

Even as some Left party members objected to her plea, Banerjee refused to take her seat and kept repeating her demand during the zero hour.

A highly agitated Banerjee thereafter rushed to the well and started crying and threw a bunch of papers at Atwal, forcing him to adjourn the House for 25 minutes.

Mamta Banerjee throws paper on LS Deputy Speaker
New Delhi | August 04, 2005 4:28:44 PM IST

New Delhi, Aug.4(ANI) : Trinamool Congress MP Mamta Banerjee today created a scene in the Lok Sabha by throwing papers on the face of Deputy Speaker, Charanjeet Singh Atwal when the latter did not permit her to speak on an adjournment motion regarding voters list in West Bengal.

Banerjee, who is the only MP of the Trinamool Congress representing West Bengal, wanted to speak about the alleged irregularities in the voters' list in West Bengal.

Atwal asked Banerjee not to persist with her demand as earlier in the day the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, had also denied her this permission because, as per rules, there could not be two adjournment motions.

Mamta Bannerjee resigns from LS
IANS[ THURSDAY, AUGUST 04, 2005 04:08:29 PM ]

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday gave parliament a display of hysterics, shedding tears, flinging papers at the Lok Sabha speaker's chair and finally quitting amid high drama.

The lower house was stunned and forced to adjourn when Banerjee, in a fit of rage at not being allowed to speak about illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, rushed to the speaker's chair and threw the papers purportedly the list of legal and illegal voters in West Bengal in her hand.

Banerjee had come armed with facts and arguments to raise the issue in the house, and demanded time to speak out of turn.

Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, who was presiding at the time, said her notice to discuss the issue had been denied by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

An enraged Banerjee held up the lists of infiltrators who were in the West Bengal voters' list, and genuine voters.

She kept shouting and waving the papers in her hand, holding up the house for half an hour.

"The speaker (Chatterjee) should explain why he disallowed the discussion. He never allowed me to speak," raged Banerjee, even as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Congress MPs protested that she was casting aspersions on the chair.

When Atwal called on Congress MP Lal Singh to speak, Banerjee kept shouting and refused to take her seat.

Then, to everyone's surprise, she rushed to the speaker's chair and started weeping.

As the entire house, including those in the viewers and press gallery gaped open-mouthed, Banerjee threw the lists in her hand at the chair.

Atwal adjourned the house as Banerjee screamed she would resign.

Mamta throws a tantrum, quits Lok Sabha
August 04, 2005 16:46 IST

Trinamool Congress leader Mamta Banerjee submitted her resignation on Thursday to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee after creating a commotion in the House by throwing a bunch of papers at the Speaker's podium.

Speaker adjourns House over home minister's absence
August 04, 2005 17:28 IST

Government faced embarrassing moments in the Lok Sabha on Thursday with Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourning the House for a short while over the absence of Home Minister Shivraj Patil when a calling attention in which he was to respond came up for discussion.

"I take a strong view of this. I don't approve of this. I am adjourning the House for 10 minutes," the speaker announced on finding the minister not present in the House.

Opposition members shouted 'shame, shame' as the speaker adjourned the proceedings.

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It is clear that after over 50 years of Parliamentary Democracy in the country, nothing has been learnt about the norms of behaviour and conduct by the People's Representatives inside the Highest Legislative Body in a Democracy. It is also certain that the country and the world will continue to witness spectacles of such atrocious behaviour for a long time to come. The Representatives of the People, instead of leading by example, will continue to find an excuse for their behaviour by shamelessly claiming that they are just a reflection of the society from which they come.

Until the Representatives of the People reach maturity in thought and action, talk of influencing the World by becoming a Super Power are pure nonsense.

Shame is not on the People's Representatives alone, shame is also on the People of this country who elect them.

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