The demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to go into the Indo-US nuclear deal stalled proceedings in Parliament for the third day on Friday with Opposition NDA and Third Front creating a ruckus in the two houses.
Opposing the formation of an informal political committee between the ruling UPA and the Left parties, the Opposition disrupted Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha from the word go, on Friday.

In Lok Sabha, BJP Deputy Leader V K Malhotra described the formation of the UPA-Left committee as an insult to Parliament and Opposition.

As the question hour could not be transacted, the two Houses were first adjourned till 12 noon. Soon after official papers were laid on the table, the Houses were adjourned again— Lok Sabha till 2:00 pm and Rajya Sabha till 2.30 pm.

Lok Sabha was again adjourned after lunch break. However, both Houses witnessed the private members’ bills conducted without any din. Noisy scenes were witnessed when the two Houses reassembled at noon but Speaker Somnath Chatterjee in Lok Sabha and Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan in Rajya Sabha rushed through laying of papers and passage of important bills in the din.

In the uproar, Parliament put its seal of approval on a bill to amend the Apprentices Act, 1961, with the Lok Sabha passing it without discussion. The bill piloted by Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha, which also approved the Carriage by Road Bill 2005, aimed at the regulation of common carriers.

As the Opposition uproar continued, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee tried to pacify them by pointing out that the debate on the nuclear deal has been listed for Monday. Malhotra questioned why the JPC was not being formed despite the NDA pressing for it for so many days. The NDA alleged that the Opposition had been rendered totally irrelevant in the matter by the government which is “turning a deaf ear” to the demands.

The NDA members then rushed into the well of the House, chanting slogans.