Relieve me from Speaker's post: Somnath

An agitated Somnath Chatterjee on Thursday said that he wanted to be relieved from the Speaker's post, as he strongly denounced the behaviour of a Bahujan Samaj Party member in the Lok Sabha.

''I strongly denounce the way you are conducting yourself. It is shameful and disgusting behaviour,'' Chatterjee told BSP member Brajesh Pathak, who continued to agressively counter Union Fertilizer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, despite repeated requests from the Chair to resume his seat.

''This is very very improper.... I condemn your behaviour,'' Chatterjee said after a belligerent Pathak continuously challenged the figures of fertilizer quota for Uttar Pradesh, provided by Paswan during the Question Hour.

Claiming that the figures were incorrect, Pathak said the farmers in the state were facing a harrowing time as they had failed to receive their fertilizer quota from the Centre.

He even shouted at Congress member V K Thummar, who tried to come to Paswan's rescue.

As the shouting match started between Pathak and Thummar, the Speaker again requested Pathak to resume his seat and called for Samajwadi Janata Party member Ram Gopal Yadav to ask his supplementary.

But Pathak refused to listen to the Chair, prompting Chatterjee to remark: ''Ham yeh hone nahin deyenge... Hamko hataiye yahan se (I won't allow this to happen.... Relieve me from the Speaker's post)''.

As Yadav started asking his question, the entire Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, who had stayed away from the House for almost the full part of the Question Hour, came in minutes before the start of the Zero Hour, shouting slogans: ''Mehangayi ko jo rok na paye, vo sarkar nikhammi hai (The government which could not check the price rise is useless).

An amused Yadav remarked: ''Ab yeh aa gaye (Now they have come)'' . The Opposition members then trooped into the well, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the failure of his government to check inflation.

With the slogan-shouting continuing, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm.