RJD, JD(U) MPs in ugly spar in LS

The Lok Sabha saw another display of bad behaviour when Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Sadhu Yadav and Janata Dal (U) leader Prabhunath Singh bad-mouthed each other and almost came to blows.

The trouble started when Singh raised the issue of an alleged rape in Arrah district in Bihar and alleged that the rapists were relatives of RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.

At this, Yadav and RJD MPs got up and tried to shout down Singh. Sadhu Yadav, an MP from Gopalganj in Bihar and brother-in-law of Prasad advanced menacingly towards Prabhunath Singh, almost knocking down TRS leader A Narendra on the way, and raised his fist against him. BJP MP Brij Mohan Singh intervened to prevent the two from coming to blows.

An RJD member, Rabindra Rana, threw the sound box on the parliamentary reporters' table at BJP member MAK Swain.

The House was adjourned when attempts to bring order failed. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee convened a meeting of the leaders of the parties during which Prasad chose to apologise to the House, with a warning that he and his partymen would not be tolerate humiliation.

Prabhunath Singh refused to apologise and instead deemed himself "unfit to be a member of Parliament" and resigned. The Speaker refused to accept the resignation.

Earlier in the day, the issue of a Sikh boy in Rajasthan being forced to get his hair cut dominated proceedings in the House.

The House was adjourned at least twice as the BJP insisted that the strike call given by the Sikh community in Rajasthan had been withdrawn after assurances from Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

"The Congress is raising this issue only to stoke communal feelings, especially before the Punjab elections," BJP parliamentary party spokesperson VK Malhotra said.