President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday ripped into Parliamentarians over the continued logjam in both Houses and said “For God’s sake, do your job.”

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday ripped into Parliamentarians over the continued logjam in both Houses and said “For God’s sake, do your job.”

Ever since the winter session of Parliament began on November 16, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have been repeatedly adjourned, as both ruling and opposition MPs have squabbled over PM Narendra Modi’s November 8 decision to scrap high value currency notes.

The President is having none of it.

“For God’s sake, do your job. You are meant to transact business in Parliament. Disruption of Parliament is not acceptable at all,” Pranab Mukherjee said.

Delivering the Defence Estate Day Lecture 2016 on “Reforms for a stronger Democracy”, the President said people send their representatives to Parliament to work for the country and not to agitate.He said he was concerned that disruption of parliamentary work has become a “practice”.

“Dharnas can be organised anywhere else,” he said, and urged MPs to debate and discuss issues of public importance in Parliament.

Just yesterday, BJP stalwart LK Advani, too, criticised MPs for holding up Pariamentary proceedings.

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were disrupted for the 15th consecutive day today as the Opposition continued to engage in sloganeering demanding a debate on demonetisation under a rule that entails voting.

As soon as the House assembled, the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wanted to raise an issue but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not allow him to and started Question Hour.

This prompted members belonging to the Congress, Trinamool Congress and theLeft parties to rush into the Well demanding a discussion on the scrapping of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes.

As Mahajan refused to concede to the demand, Opposition members raised slogans. As the din refused to die down, an upset Speaker warned the protesting MPs to not disturb the entire House through their protests. Members belonging to Samajwadi Party and the NCP extended their support to their opposition counterparts by standing in the aisles along their seats.

“What is this? I am warning you. Please, please, I am repeatedly telling you if you want to debate, debate. But don’t disturb the whole House,” she said.

Amid the continued din, the Speaker took up five questions before adjourning the House for nearly 20 minutes till noon.

With both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day without transacting any significant business, the logjam therefore continued.

Bureau Report