Some MPs try to disrupt President's address to Parliament

Some MPs today tried to disrupt President Pranab Mukherjee's maiden address to the joint sitting of Parliament over various issues but they failed.

As soon as Mukherjee started his maiden address, MPs of DMK and AIADMK stood up and chanted slogans demanding that India vote against Sri Lanka at the UN for alleged atrocities against ethnic Tamil. Some of them even displayed placards.

The issue of atrocities against Sri Lankan Tamils during the war between LTTE and the army, which ended a few years back, will come up at the UN next week.

Fresh photographs about the killing of the 12-year-old son of slain LTTE chief V Prabhakaran allegedly by Sri Lankan forces has put the spotlight on this issue.

Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Narayanasamy and Rajiv Shukla tried to pacify the members. But then, MPs from Andhra Pradesh- including those from the Congress- shouted pro-Telangana slogans.

Shafiqur Rahman Barq (BSP) also stood up to demand minority status to Aligarh Muslim University.

An unperturbed President, however, continued reading his speech in the midst of this commotion. A minor disruption later by G N Ratanpuri (JKNC) too was ignored by Mukherjee.