Coal Allotment: Chorus for PM's Resignation, Parliament Adjourned

New Delhi: A combative opposition demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report on coal block allocation, leading to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha being adjourned for the day.

The first adjournments till noon took place soon after proceedings began in both the houses with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition seeking to raise the matter.

In the Lok Sabha, trouble over the issue did not die down when the house met after the short adjournment with the opposition rushing towards Speaker Meira Kumar's podium.

The government said the opposition should let the house function and have a discussion on the issue. The government offered a discussion in the house with Home Minister and Leader of the House Sushilkumar Shinde saying: "We can discuss the issue. We have no objection."

The speaker asked the opposition if it agreed to the discussion but the slogans and shouting continued, forcing her to adjourn the house for the day.  There were similar scenes in the Rajya Sabha, forcing Chairperson Hamid Ansari to adjourn the house till noon.

When the house met, things were quiet for a while during which Congress member P.J. Kurien was unanimously elected deputy chairman.  Members across party lines complimented Kurien for his election to the post. However, soon after Kurien was invited by the chair to conduct proceedings in his new role, opposition members again raised the issue of the CAG report on coal block allocation.