The uproar began when Madan Kaushik (BJP) asked Labour minister Harish Chandra Durgapal to give specific information about the number of persons, who got employment through various initiatives taken by the government.
As Durgapal failed to give the reply, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh rose to the defence of Durgapal stating though not many persons have so far been provided employment through various initiatives, the government is making serious efforts in the direction.
She also said that the government has decided to provide unemployment allowance ranging from from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 to educated unemployed youths depending on their qualifications and rules are being framed for the purpose and the government has allocated a fund of Rs 100-125 crore for this purpose.
To a supplementary question by Kaushik whether the government considers a 10th standard youth also as an unemployed person, Hridayesh said even though an illiterate having no employment is unemployed, the government would provide unemployment allowance only in three categories -- 12th pass, graduates and postgraduates.
This enraged BJP members, who alleged that government is not serious about providing employment or unemployment allowance to those who are not literate.
At this juncture, Hridayesh rose on to say that the opposition has no right to rake up the issue as it was only the government's initiative to provide unemployment doles.
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"When you (BJP) were in power, you did not come out any such initiative. So you have no right to speak on the issue. You even did not listen to the budget presentation yesterday," Hridayesh said.
The remark led to uproar in the House with the BJP members trooping into the well with leader of the opposition Ajay Bhatt sitting on a dharna along with other party members in the well. Some opposition members also tore some papers and flung them in the house in a fit of rage.
Bhatt claimed that the government was trying to suppress the voice of the opposition by making such remarks.
Amid the din, the Speaker adjourned the house till 1500 hours.