Indian MPs almost come to blows

Mr Yadav was at the centre of the storm (Photo: Prashant Ravi)

Chaos ruled in India's parliament on Thursday when two politicians from the northern state of Bihar almost came to blows inside the House.

At the centre of the storm was the Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, Laloo Yadav.

Trouble started when an MP from a rival party, Prabhunath Singh, alleged that a relative of Mr Yadav was involved in a rape case.

Mr Yadav's party objected to the slur and the house erupted into confusion.

Although the Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, said the offending statement would be erased from parliamentary records, tempers did not cool down.

Shouting

Such a clash in parliament is rare, but much worse scenes have been witnessed in the state assemblies in the past.

Prabhunath Singh belongs to the Janata Dal (United) Party - a rival of Mr Yadav's RJD.

Soon after his offending remark, the Speaker adjourned the house for an hour, but even after he left his seat, the acrimonious exchanges continued.

The members of the two parties shouted at each other and in a fit of anger, Mr Yadav's party colleague and brother-in-law, Sadhu Yadav, rushed towards Mr Singh. He was stopped by other members.

Another angry RJD member hurled a sound box at his party rivals but it failed to hit anyone.

Laloo apologises

Later, when the house re-assembled after lunch, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee condemned the clash and asked the MPs from both sides to behave in a dignified manner.

India's Parliament House

Laloo Yadav apologised on behalf of his party, but he said the offensive language used by the rival party MP was the reason for the scuffle.

An angry Prabhunath Singh handed his resignation from the House to the Speaker and walked out.

The Speaker refused to accept the resignation, saying he would talk Mr Singh round later.

Although members often disrupt the proceedings of the House by shouting and walking out, a punch-up has never been reported in parliament.

The state legislatures are a different matter.

A few years ago, television images of legislators hurling microphones and chairs at each other in the Uttar Pradesh assembly shocked the public.

And in Bihar, one legislator took off his clothes and jumped into the reporters' gallery.

Analysts say Thursday's incident is a reflection of the bitter rivalry between the two political parties in Bihar.