NEW DELHI, August 13: Bihar Chief Justice B M Lal's observation on Tuesday that the state was ripe for imposition of President's rule, had serious repercussions in the Lok Sabha today with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samata Party (SP) members nearly coming to blows in the well of the House while in the Rajya Sabha members urged the Government to take up the matter with the Chief Justice of India as they felt the court had exceeded its jurisdiction.

In a never-before show of rowdiness, enraged members of the two parties had to be physically pushed back by senior Congress leaders and Law Minister Ramakant Khalap, just when the clash was threatening to turn into a fistfight.

Matters deteriorated to such a level that the House had to be adjourned for half an hour. When it reassembled, a stern-looking Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma said he was ``compelled'' to take disciplinary action against the MPs who had engaged in the fracas.

The debate in the afternoon was a continuation of the zero hour discussion on the Bihar High Court's observation that the administration in the state had collapsed making it a fit case for President's rule.

Ram Kripal Yadav, RJD, began the debate saying democracy was under attack not just in Bihar, but the precedent set by the High Court boded ill for the rest of the country.

During zero hour, Nitish Kumar (Samata) began speaking on the development, seeking imposition of President's Rule in the state. He was heckled by RJD members. It was around 1 pm then -- when the House customarily breaks for lunch and Suraj Bhan cut short the commotion by announcing an adjournment till 2 pm.

When presiding officer Ram Singh, next asked Nitish Kumar to speak he was interrupted by M A A Fatmi, RJD, who objected saying Kumar had not given notice. Ram Singh's ruling that Kumar was speaking on behalf of his party fell on deaf ears as Fatmi, joined by his colleagues Dinesh Yadav, Girdhari Yadav and M Sahabuddin, began shouting in unison.

Across the House, Anand Mohan and Brahmanand Mandal took up cudgels on Kumar's behalf. They countered the RJD members by shouting just as loudly. The slanging match continued for a while as a helpless Ram Singh tried to make himself heard above the din.

But the members were in no mood to listen. Mandal challenged Dinesh Yadav to the well of the House for a duel. Rolling up his sleeves, Yadav, accompanied by his colleagues, moved forward. Just then Anand Mohan lunged forward to the well. Senior Congress members were seen separating the warring members.

In the melee, Khalap was violently pushed aside by a belligerent Anand Mohan. On the other side, Das Munshi was seen grappling with RJD members to prevent them from coming into contact with their Samata opponents.

Senior Congress and BJP members were on their feet, with shock and dismay writ large on their faces. For a while, it was as if all hell had broken loose. While heckling, shouting and unruly behaviour have become daily fare in the House, this is the first time in recent years that members have come so close to a scuffle.

Ram Singh, having given up all attempts to control the brawl, was heard calling out for the watch and ward staff of the House to control the members. Finally he adjourned the House for half an hour.

The respite allowed tempers to cool, but the damage had been done. When the House resumed, it was a sombre Sangma who admonished the members. ``I don't know how to express my anguish at what happened today. It was not becoming of this institution. I am not going to tolerate it'', he reprimanded the House.

Meanwhile, virtually all the parties criticised the Patna High Court for making an ``unwarranted'' observation on the need for imposing Central rule in the state.

The BJP, which initially demanded that the Government take the court's observations seriously, stood isolated as other members, led by Ram Jethmalani, criticised it for trying to make political capital out of the statement.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.