Speaker chides Cong members as paper planes fly in LS

Congress members flew paper planes in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley made his intervention in the debate on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

In a dramatic turn of events, Congress members Rajiv Satav, Sushmita Dev and Gurdeep Singh Aujla threw paper planes at the NDA benches as Jaitley targeted the Gandhi family alleging that its “hands were soaked in the Bofors, Agustawestland and the National Herald scams."

Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had targeted the Modi government claiming that there were “many holes in the Rafale story” and that the entire country was pointing finger at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the fighter aircraft deal.

Jaitley hit back with references to the Bofors, Agustawestland and National Herald leading to unease in the Congress ranks.

Soon, a paper plane was launched from the Congress benches which landed near Jaitley.

Congress member Sunil Jakhar was seen making paper planes using parliamentary papers and supplying the same to Satav, Dev and other members who were in the Well of the Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan chided the Congress members for their behaviour.

“Are you still kids, or have you grown up?” Mahajan said and named Satav and Dev. Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi was seen asking Satav and Dev to keep away the paper planes for a while as the Speaker had taken their names.

Jaitley, who had continued with his speech, quipped “perhaps they are flying paper planes in the memory of Eurofighter aircraft.”

AIADMK members, who were also protesting in the Well of the House on the Cauvery issue, resorted to tearing up parliamentary papers and throwing the same in the House. This prompted the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings for a brief period.

During the adjournment period, Speaker called Congress members Satav and Dev to her chamber and strongly disapproved of their behaviour.