NEW DELHI:
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Tuesday apologised to the Rajya Sabha members for coming late when the House was discussing the Railway budget. Neither he nor any Minister of State for Railways was present when the discussion began soon after the tabling of papers, following question hour.
``I was under the impression that my Minister of State was in the House. I apologise for the embarrassment caused,'' he said and prepared to take notes.
Mr. Prasad's regret came after Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan expressed his displeasure when BJP member S.S. Ahluwalia brought it to his notice that the Railway Ministry was unrepresented during an important discussion like the Railway budget.
``You are right. The Minister should have been here. There can be no business more important than attending Parliament. At least the Minister of State should have been here,'' observed the Chair. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri was seen trying to mollify Mr. Khan, even as several BJP members demanded adjournment.
Just then Mr. Prasad walked in and gestured to the Nationalist Congress Party member Tariq Anwar to continue with his observations on the budget. However, BJP members demanded that the Minister apologise, which he did.
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