LS Speaker admits adjournment motion

(New Delhi): Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has admitted an adjournment motion on the Mumbai blasts. The discussion will be at 4 pm today. The BJP had decided to stall proceedings in the Lok Sabha for the second day if the government had not agreed to a discussion on the Adjournment Motion. The motion was moved by the Opposition on the government's so called "failure" to control terrorism in the wake of the Mumbai bomb blasts. Security concerns Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha LK Advani also slammed the government for going soft on internal security. "From last July to this July, barring Jammu and Kashmir and North-East, the two theatres of terrorism, the rest of the nation is like a hinterland," said LK Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. "In which case, in that hinterland from last July to this July deaths, causalities due to terrorist activity totals to an all time record high, since the last 25 years. We say POTA is anti-terror; POTA is anti-terrorism but you project it as anti-Muslim, POTA is anti-minority," he added. On his part, Home Minister Shivraj Patil defended the anti-terror laws. "We have certain laws in our system, which if implemented properly will be as effective POTA or TADA in curbing terrorism. In fact even the UN has decided that there should be some new laws made to curb terrorism," said Shivraj Patil, Home Minister. Meanwhile, the government has opposed the adjournment motion. "We oppose this adjournment motion. Advani should not forget when there was attack on Parliament then opposition leader Sonia Gandhi decided not to embarrass the Vajpayee government. Instead, should show unity of the House stand together," said PR Dasmunshi, Parliamentary Affairs minister. Rajya Sabha uproar Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes on Tuesday with the Opposition demanding that a time be fixed for a debate on the issues of price rise and Mumbai blasts. A debate on the issues is however not on the list of business of the Upper House for today. The government was not ready for a debate, as it was decided in business advisory committee meeting that the matters might be taken up on Wednesday. The opposition will also raise the issues of national security, price rise and the Office of Profit Bill. The NDA plans to move an adjournment motion against the government. The BJP has said if the speaker doesn't agree to their demand for an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha on the Office of Profit Bill they will stall proceedings in the house. Meanwhile, Food Minister in the earlier NDA government Sharad Yadav apologised for the Commodities Exchange Act and claimed that he was misled by bureaucrats into believing that the Act would be beneficial to farmers. On Monday, no work could be done as the Parliament had to be adjourned barely half an hour after the session began, as opposition members stormed the well of the House raising slogans.