New Delhi, July 31 (IANS): The Rajya Sabha was Thursday adjourned till 2 p.m. as the opposition disrupted the proceedings seeking a debate on the reported bugging at union minister Nitin Gadkari's residence here.
After being adjourned twice, the house met at noon. Members from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Left reiterated their demand for a discussion and asked the government to launch a formal inquiry into the allegations.
"The nation wants to know the truth behind these allegations. The government should conduct an inquiry into the matter," said Pramod Tiwari, a Congress member from Uttar Pradesh.
During question hour, Leader of Opposition in the upper house, Ghulam Nabi Azad, along with other opposition members including Naresh Aggarwal of the Samajwadi Party demanded answers from the government.
"If there are allegations that a cabinet minister's phone is being tapped, then it's a serious matter and needs to be discussed," Azad said.
Azad also took on Home Minister Rajnath Singh who had earlier denied the bugging allegations and said that some news channels had shown that the home minister's telephone was being tapped too.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu accused the opposition of "politicising" the issue.
"There is no truth in these allegations," he said as the opposition members kept pressing for a debate.
Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien adviced the members to follow the rules and let the house function.
"The chair has no objection if you want to discuss the issue but you should proceed as per the rules... There are avenues in the rulebook for this, you don't need me," Kurien said. His appeal went unheeded.
Amid the ruckus, Kurien adjourned the house till 2 p.m.