NEW DELHI: Heated arguments between All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members led to pandemonium and frequent adjournments in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Their clash over the May 9 attack on the office of the Tamil daily Dinakaran in Madurai spilled over from the pre-lunch zero hour when Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan allowed AIADMK Parliamentary party leader P. G. Narayanan to raise the matter briefly.

No sooner Mr. Narayanan started speaking than he ran into stiff opposition from Ministers T. R. Baalu and S. S. Palanimanickam (both DMK) besides V. Narayanaswamy (Congress), who contended that matters pertaining to States could not be raised in the House.

The Ministers were not satisfied with Mr. Khan's reasoning that it was a ruling given by the Chairman. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri supported the DMK, pointing out that a State matter was sought to be raised despite the State Government seeking a CBI probe.

At this, AIADMK members entered the well and raised slogans seeking the dismissal of the Tamil Nadu Government, forcing Mr. Khan to adjourn the House.

In the post-lunch session, Mr. Narayanan attempted to raise the issue again. However, Mr. Khan ruled that zero hour was over and the member would have to give a fresh notice to raise the matter. The AIADMK members, however, trooped into the well, leading to a 30-minute adjournment within 12 minutes.

When the House re-assembled, the AIADMK members continued to raise a din. Amid the chaos, the House rushed through the adoption of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2006 and the Mizoram University (Amendment) Bill, 2007. The Mizoram University Bill providing for the Governor to be the Chief Rector was passed without full discussion.

The other Bill, tabled by Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, makes it mandatory for cable operators to transmit Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha channels. Even as the BJP said there should be order in the House, a member sought division. The Bill was then put to vote and passed with 69 members voting in its favour and one against.

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