Rajya Sabha adjourned for want of quorum

 Post-lunch business in the Rajya Sabha today collapsed for want of quorum on the last day of the first half of the Budget Session of Parliament.

After the quorum bell was pressed for 10 minutes, the House was adjourned till April 24, when the session will resume after a four-week recess.

As a result, Private Members' resolutions could not be taken up.

Rajya Sabha Secretary General V K Agnihotri made the announcement on behalf of Vice Chairman P J Kurien about adjournment of the House for the day in the absence of required attendance - one-tenth of the total members of the House which is 25.

The number of members was low in both ruling and opposition benches and among the ministers Salman Khurshid, Mukul Wasnik, V Narayanasamy and Sachin Pilot were present.

Sensing that the House might be adjourned, Shivanand Tiwari (JD-U) and Prakash Javadeker (BJP), who were to move the resolutions, were seen eagerly counting the heads present.
They even requested Rajya Sabha officials to press the quorum bell so that members could rush in.

Tiwari was to move a resolution seeking 15 per cent reservation for the extremely backward classes within the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota.

Javadekar was to raise the issue of creation of separate Telangana.