LS adjourned till 2 pm as oppn insists Rahul should speak before Budget discussion

New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday with opposition parties insisting that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak before the House takes up discussion on the Union Budget. As Krishna Prasad Tennati called Congress' Shashi Tharoor to initiate the debate on the Budget, opposition members dug in their heels and said Gandhi be allowed to speak first.

Tennati underlined that the discussion was on the Budget and Tharoor's name had been given by the Congress as its lead speaker. He said he would need to get clarity on whether LoP can be allowed to speak. He also asked Gandhi whether he wanted to speak on the Budget. Tharoor, meanwhile, said he yields to the LoP. As the stalemate continued, Tennati adjourned the House till 2 pm. Earlier, Lok Sabha proceeding were adjourned till 12 noon after Speaker Om Birla slammed opposition members for "planning" disruptions.

As the House took up Question Hour, opposition members started raising issues which they demanded should be addressed immediately. Birla said the issues can be raised during discussion on the Union Budget. He said members, including the LoP, were free to speak during the debate. As opposition members continued disruptions, he slammed them for the "planned" disruptions and asked them to let the House run as per rules.