The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice this morning following turmoil over the letter from US lawmakers on the Indo-US nuclear deal to PM Manmohan Singh and the fake encounter killings in Gujarat. Samajwadi Party’s Shahid Siddiqui demanded a discussion on the fake encounters as soon as the House convened and the treasury benches joined demanding the dismissal and arrest of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi.

In response, BJP MP Sushma Swaraj tried to raise the issue of the US senators’ letter to the PM. The Left joined them on this issue and Brinda Karat of the CPI(M) demanded a statement from the PM in the House. Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat told the House he had not received any notice for suspending the Question Hour and both the issues could be raised during Zero Hour, but to no avail, forcing an adjournment.

When the House reconvened for the Zero Hour, the BJP raised a fresh issue of anti-India slogans being used at a rally addressed by separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Srinagar recently. While the Left continued to rant about the ‘insulting’ letter from US lawmakers, Swaraj demanded that BJP leader Jaswant Singh be allowed to speak on the Srinagar rally. Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan allowed Singh to speak, but Congress members almost trooped into the well protesting and condemning the fake encounter killing. While BJP members shouted slogans of “Kashmir bachao, desh bachao”, Congress MPs countered them with demands for dismissing the Gujarat government and Modi’s arrest. The House was adjourned yet again.