"You are working over time to finish off democracy," a visibly angry Speaker Somnath Chatterjee castigated members in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
"It is a matter of great sorrow... that you are not willing to work," he observed when Opposition members stormed the well demanding a loan waiver for farmers leading to adjournment of the House.
Disapproving the members' action, Chatterjee said, "With great sorrow, sadness and resentment, I am forced to adjourn the House."
As he adjourned the House for an hour as soon as it assembled, Chatterjee directed the officials to send him the names of members disrupting the proceedings. "Let the names be sent to me."
Despite the Speaker insisting that he had not stopped discussion on any issue, the agitating members remained unrelenting and continued raising slogans against the government.
Incidentally, the only redeeming feature in the Lok Sabha was that Finance Minister P Chidambaram was allowed to present the Economic Survey 2007-08 in the House proceedings without any disturbance.
