Opposition walks out of Lok Sabha over price rise issue

New Delhi, March 31 : The Opposition MPs protested against continuing fuel price rise in the Lok Sabha and staged a walkout over the issue. As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition MPs were on their feet, urging Speaker Om Birla to allow them to speak on the issue. The Speaker, however, carried on with the Question Hour. Opposition members continued their protest, with placards and slogans in the House. Speaker Birla, however, said he has allowed Members to raise issues several times, and said the Question Hour should be allowed. The Opposition MPs, however, said the prices have increased today, even as they raised slogans attacking the government. They continued raising slogans and later staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha at around 11:30 am, halfway through the Question Hour. “Today in protest to exponential price rise in oil and other essential commodities, the Congress, along with other Opposition parties, staged a walkout to flag the attention of this government. But the government is totally unconcerned with the state of poor in the country,” Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, after the walkout. Congress, DMK, National Conference, Comm st Party of India-Marxist, Comm st Party of India, IUML, VCK, MDMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Trinamool Congress were among the parties that staged a walkout. AO RJ