New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday disallowed the adjournment motion notices by opposition parties for a debate on demonetisation, amid huge uproar from opposition benches.
The pandemonium saw the house being adjourned for the day around 12.30 p.m.
As the lower House met after an adjournment at 12 noon, Mahajan permitted members from opposition and treasury benches to speak on the issue of having a debate on demonetisation of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes.
Most opposition members demanded that the debate should take place under adjournment motion, even as Biju Janata Dal and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) said they have not given adjournment notices.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the opposition is ready for a debate, and accused the government of not wanting to debate on the demonetisation issue.
"Prime Minister says outside that few people are supporting black money... They do not want a discussion here," he said.
Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said the Prime Minister does not belong to a party but to everyone and he should listen to the opposition.
"Around 300 MPs staged a sit in protest near the Gandhi statue (in Parliament complex). The government has a majority here, even if there is voting they will win," he said.
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader P. Karunakaran said some parties in the ruling NDA were also against demonetisation and named the Shiv Sena.
Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul however maintained that they were not against the move to scrap 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, but the party has raised the issue of inconvenience to the people with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Prime Minister has assured us there would be relief," he said.
BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab and TRS leader A.P. Jithender Reddy said their parties have not given an adjournment notice but want a debate. They urged the ruling and opposition members to come to a conclusion and let the debate take place.
Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said the nation is backing the demonetisation decision.
"Let the discussion take place... people want the house to function and debate this issue. The whole nation is backing the Prime Minister on this decision," he said.
After listening to the members, the Speaker however decided to disallow the adjournment motion, which created a huge uproar among the opposition members.
The house then functioned briefly amid din, before Mahajan adjourned it for the day as opposition members continued creating ruckus.
