New Delhi, Oct. 23: Most politicians aren’t known to give up on the chair. This afternoon, the chair gave up on one of them.

In the process, K. Rahman Khan, the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, earned the rare distinction of becoming the reason for abrupt adjournment.

The chair malfunction was triggered at a time Rahman was desperately trying to keep the upper House from disruption over reports that Hindu extremist groups were behind the recent blasts in Malegaon and Modasa. CPM’s Brinda Karat had brought up the issue and her diatribe against the Sangh parivar was met with uproar from the BJP benches.

Pandemonium reigned. Having tried, unsuccessfully, to bring a sense of order, Rahman moved to resume his seat when it suddenly appeared to wobble. He tried setting it right and sat; this time the chair appeared to sink on itself. The watch and ward staff panicked, not to speak of Rahman himself.

As the puzzled lot tried to set it right, the deputy chairman quickly adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

But the errant chair continued to occupy centrestage. Indeed, concern over it appeared to have suddenly united the bickering House.

The BJP’s S.S. Ahluwalia, whose colleagues were spewing venom at Karat just a moment ago, was suddenly by her side, guiding her up the chairman’s podium to see what had gone wrong.

Congress MP Jayanti Natarajan, who was slated to chair the next session, wasn’t keen on repeating Rahman’s (mis)adventure. She came up during the break and was seen keenly examining what could have gone wrong.

She wanted it set absolutely right and watch and ward staff could be heard telling the Rajya Sabha secretary-general, V.K. Agnihotri, that the chair would take at least an hour to repair.

BJP’s Najma Heptullah, who spent a famous few years adorning the chair as deputy chairperson, was also among interested spectators, perhaps wondering if the chair had begun to miss her too much.

Never to be left without a role in such gripping drama, railway minister Lalu Prasad came up with the most innovative — and native — suggestion as the House dispersed upon adjournment: “Arre, just put a brick underneath and it will be fine,” he chortled in the commotion, laughing at his own joke.

Another member was heard shouting: “Sir, the chair is definitely under pressure!”

So it was, to all appearances. Rahman’s 10-minute adjournment was not quite enough to do the repair job; another adjournment, this time until lunch.

The House reassembled at the appointed hour, but the chair remained undone. Eventually, it has to be replaced by another one commandeered from the Central Hall of Parliament.

It was Rahman himself who returned to assume the chair, the others probably unprepared to do the test drive. But he was reassured and reassuring once he sat down. “Ab kursi theek hai (Now the chair is fine), he said.

Embarrassed, Rajya Sabha officials said checking the chairman’s chair was part of their daily drill and it was duly performed this morning, too. “We found nothing wrong,” they said. Apparently, it was a spring that had sprung the ugly surprise on them.