New Delhi, February 9 The Lok Sabha session was adjourned until 2 pm on Monday, with opposition parties insisting that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak before the House discusses the Union Budget.
When Krishna Prasad Tennati called upon Congress's Shashi Tharoor to initiate the debate on the Budget, the opposition members dug in their heels and demanded that Gandhi be allowed to speak first.
Tennati emphasized that the discussion was about the Budget, and Tharoor's name had been given by the Congress as its lead speaker.
He said he needed clarification on whether the Leader of the Opposition could be allowed to speak. He also asked Gandhi if he wanted to speak on the Budget.
Tharoor, in turn, said he would yield to the Leader of the Opposition.
As the stalemate continued, Tennati adjourned the House until 2 pm.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha session had been adjourned until 12 noon after Speaker Om Birla had reprimanded the opposition members for "planning" disruptions.
When the House took up Question Hour, the opposition members started raising issues which they demanded should be addressed immediately.
Birla said that these issues could be raised during the discussion on the Union Budget. He said that all members, including the Leader of the Opposition, were free to speak during the debate.
As the opposition members continued to disrupt proceedings, Birla reprimanded them for the "planned" disruptions and asked them to allow the House to function according to the rules.