Patna: Proceedings at both the state Legislative Assembly and Council were disrupted on Tuesday, the second day of the budget session, as the main Opposition, the RJD, took the government to task over Manoj Baitha, the suspended BJP leader named in the FIR over the mowing down of nine schoolchildren in Muzaffarpur on Saturday.

Baitha is still absconding despite a police special investigation team conducting raids to nab him.

The moment the Assembly assembled, RJD members trooped into the Well of the House and started shouting slogans. Both chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi were absent. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav asked Speaker Vijay Chaudhary about the fait of an adjournment motion the RJD had moved.

The Speaker asked the Opposition to raise the matter during Zero Hour an let the Question Hour proceed.

"It's only if you put the question in the proper format that the government will be forced to answer," Chaudhary remarked.

The Opposition, however, refused to budge.

"The incident is tragic. The deputy CM for two days said that Manoj Baitha was not a member of his party. The third day, he owned up Baitha and expelled him from the party. The government is now trying to shield him," alleged Tejashwi. The government, Tejashwi said, had also insulted "martyrs killed while fighting militants or in Pakistani fire" and no minister had bothered to visit their homes.

Parlimanetary affairs minister Shrawan Kumar objected to Tejashwi's statement.

"The government does not save any criminal," the minister said. "It was a tragic incident which the Opposition is trying to politicise. Action has been initiated and the culprit will be caught. So far as the charge of government ministers not visiting the venue is concerned, the urban development minister went to the site and consoled the families and even made arrangements for treatment of the injured. Our ministers have gone to the home of the martyred soldiers too."

Sharma , who was in the House said he had indeed gone to Muzaffarpur, but said he did not feel it was a case of drunken driving (as the Opposition has alleged).

As the din continued, the Speaker had to adjourn the House for lunch just 15 minutes after it had started.

In the Council also, the House had to be adjourned for the same reason as former chief minister Rabri Devi alleged that Sushil Kumar Modi was trying to protect Baitha.