Congress stages walkout over Karnataka, Rajnath says put your house in order

The party later staged a walkout, its first in the 17th Lok Sabha. They were joined by members of some other opposition parties including DMK and National Conference.

The issue was sought to be raised by Congress members after the Question Hour but Speaker Om Birla said that the matter had been raised on Monday. The Congress members later resorted to sloganeering that led to the Speaker expressing his strong disapproval and asking them not to make the Lok Sabha look like a municipal corporation.

He did not accept the adjournment motion notice given by Congress members. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the BJP of pursuing "poaching politics" to dislodge the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka and said the ruling party could next target the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. He justified Congress resorting to sloganeering by referring to remarks of BJP leader Arun Jaitley that disruption was also a legitimate strategy of opposition.

Congress members, who persisted with their demand, first protested from their seats and later went to the well of the house, raising slogans like "we want justice" and "stop dictatorship". The party later staged a walkout, its first in the 17th Lok Sabha.

They were joined by members of some other opposition parties including DMK and National Conference. Amid Congress protests, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the members cannot give notice on a matter that had already been raised in the House. He said the BJP does not have a role in Karnataka developments and the Congress was facing problems due to the resignation of Rahul Gandhi.

He said Congress members had raised the issue of the political crisis faced by their coalition government on Monday and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had responded to it.

Joshi said there were are so many issues before the country and urged Congress members not to disturb the proceedings.

The Speaker, who had earlier warned the members amid protests, urged them to take their seats and said he had been giving opportunities to members to speak out of turn.

He said the House belonged to all members and there should not be any sloganeering. "Debate with each other but there is need to put an end to sloganeering and raising of placards if everyone agrees," he said.

Birla said the proceedings of the House were widely watched and the members should not resort to sloganeering. "The world watches it," he said and urged the members not to make it look like a municipal corporation.

"We are fulfilling our role, they should fulfill theirs. Senior leader Arun Jaitley has said disruption is also a tactic, we have taken a lesson from him," he said.

Rejecting BJP's claims of non-interference in Karnataka developments, he asked how were vehicles, planes ready for rebel legislators.

Chowdhury said "democracy was in danger" due to actions of BJP-led government and "poaching politics should be stopped."

Responding to the allegations, Rajnath Singh accused the Congress of failing to put its own house in order in Karnataka and disturbing the proceedings of the Parliament.

"Whatever is happening (in Karnataka), it is an internal matter of the Congress. They are unable to put their own house in order and are disturbing the House. This can never be termed right," he said.

Singh, who is Deputy Leader of the House, said that Congress was raising the issue again after it had raised it on Monday and was misusing the opportunity given to it.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka has plunged into a political crisis following the resignation of 11 MLAs on Saturday.

( With inputs from ANI )