M A I N   N E W S

Stormy start to monsoon session
LS, RS adjourned over Telangana
Girja Shankar Kaura & Aditi Tandon/ TNS

Appeals fall Flat PM Manmohan Singh’s appeal to all parties to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament went in vain Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s repeated requests to Congress members from the Seemandhra region to go back to their seats yielded no result LS Speaker Meira Kumar’s assurance to the agitating members that they would be allowed to speak during Zero Hour found no takers Even when Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien told TDP members CM Ramesh and YS Chowdary to give notice and said a discussion would be allowed, they kept disturbing proceedings

New Delhi, August 5
The monsoon session of Parliament got off to a stormy start today with Opposition members in both Houses creating ruckus over the creation of Telangana as a separate state and the Centre's ambitious food security ordinance, leading to both Houses being adjourned for the day late in the afternoon.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned thrice before being adjourned for the day. The protests in the Rajya Sabha continued despite Finance Minister P Chidambaram making a statement on the Telangana issue in the House. The government's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh also led to protests outside Parliament.

The protests came despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reaching out to Opposition parties asking them to let Parliament function smoothly. Talking to reporters, Manmohan Singh said, "The monsoon session of Parliament begins today and it is my sincere hope, prayer and appeal to all parties to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament."

“We have wasted a lot of time in the previous two or three sessions and I hope that this will not be repeated in this session.

The government on its part is willing to discuss every issue on the floor of the House and therefore, I appeal to the Opposition to cooperate with the government in the smooth running of this session and to ensure that this session will be productive as well as constructive,” he said.

In the Lok Sabha, Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs from Andhra Pradesh opposing Telangana came near the Speaker's podium to press for their demand during question hour.

Soon as Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar finished with obituary references, TDP members from Andhra Pradesh stormed the Well of the House demanding united Andhra.

They were carrying placards: "We want justice for Seemandhra area" and "We want united Andhra Pradesh".