Lok Sabha adjourns till noon amid protests

The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon today following noisy protests by members of the AIADMK and the TRS over Cauvery dispute and quota issue respectively.

This is the 15th straight day that the Question Hour has been washed out in the lower house.

As soon as the House met for the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan paid tributes to freedom fighters -- Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukdev--  who were hanged on March 23, 1931 by the British. The House observed silence as a mark of respect to the martyrs.

Before taking up the question hour, the Speaker appealed to members to maintain order but members from the AIADMK and TRS trooped into the Well holding placards and raising slogans.

While the AIADMK is pressing for immediate setting up of the Cauvery river management board, the TRS is demanding that the states be given the right to determine the proportion of reservations. Some members were heard shouting 'we want justice'.

Congress members too were on their feet protesting against the Supreme Court verdict on the SC/ST Act. The Congress has been demanding that the Centre seek a review of the court order which diluted provisions related to immediate arrest in cases related to atrocities on Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Expelled RJD member Pappu Yadav was seen holding two placards demanding special status for Bihar.

Amid the din, Mahajan tried to proceed with the Question Hour, but adjourned the House within minutes as the protests continued.

The House has been witnessing disruptions every day since March 5 over issues like PNB scam, special status to Andhra Pradesh and Cauvery water dispute after it re-assembled to continue the Budget session.