New Delhi, Dec. 7: L.K. Advani today termed "disgraceful" the way the business of the Lok Sabha was being conducted.
"It's disgraceful. Neither the parliamentary affairs minister nor the Speaker is running the House. The House is running on its own," Advani was heard saying in the House immediately after it was adjourned post-noon.
"I am going to tell the Speaker that she is not running the House. I am going to say it publicly. Both sides are a party to this," Advani said, throwing up his hands.
Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar and his deputy, S.S. Ahluwalia, both looking flustered, were seen escorting Advani out of Parliament, not allowing any interaction with journalists.
The Speaker's office later said Sumitra Mahajan was trying her best to run the House. "She has been regularly calling leaders of the House for discussions," an official said.
The winter session of Parliament has been paralysed by Opposition protests over the implementation of the demonetisation decision.
When Advani, 89, had erupted, Kumar had rushed to the veteran leader, who was sitting in the front row, and tried to calm him down. Advani, however, could not be pacified.
"Both sides are party to it," he was heard saying, possibly blaming the Opposition as well for the impasse. "Let the House be adjourned sine die," Advani added.
A little later, Kumar, Ahluwalia and another BJP MP were seen escorting Advani out of Parliament. They did not allow him to speak to journalists and accompanied him to his car. The ministers heaved a sigh of relief only after Advani's car drove off. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not seen in the House today.
Referring to Advani - a member of the BJP's superannuated club called the marg darshak mandal - as a "father figure", a minister said the leader was "angry" as the House was not functioning.
When journalists pointed out that Advani had blamed a section of ministers and the Speaker for the logjam, Kumar said: "He has blamed the Opposition."
The Opposition is demanding a discussion on the demonetisation drive under a voting clause which the government has so far rejected.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kumar today seemed to refer to an online poll conducted by the Time magazine, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was voted the "Person of the Year". Donald Trump is the magazine's choice for "Person of the Year.
"I don't understand why the Opposition is running away from a debate. What is this clamour for voting? Narendra Modi has emerged the number one leader internationally in a poll," Kumar said in the House.
The Speaker continued with question hour for about half an hour amid the din. After adjournment, the proceedings resumed at noon, but the protests continued. The Speaker once again allowed zero hour for half an hour and then adjourned the House, prompting the outburst from Advani.
Modi call
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked his party MPs to aggressively defend the demonetisation drive, claiming popular support was with the government.
"People's support is with us. Demonetisation has brought janshakti (people's power) into prominence. The Opposition is being undemocratic by opposing a big reformist move like demonetisation," Modi is learnt to have said at a meeting of BJP MPs in Parliament.
The Prime Minister asked the party MPs to "expose" the Opposition and sensitise the masses into moving towards a "less cash" society.
